“Everybody Should Have the Opportunity…”

New to District 742 this year is the American Indian Program, a program designed to assist and give support to  American Indian students enrolled throughout the District. Heading the program is director of equity services, Sebastian Witherspoon, along with Lacey Lokken, the new American Indian coordinator.

“My non-technical description of the program is about closing the achievement gap, but on a daily basis it’s connecting with the kids and figuring out a way to help them get there,” explains Lokken. “Some need extra support and some don’t. But there is a cultural piece as well. Almost all the kids don’t realize there is a larger population of American Indian students in the District.”

The program wouldn’t be nearly as successful without the support of the American Indian Center at St. Cloud State University (SCSU) as well as the support from the District’s American Indian parents.

Jim Knutson-Kolodzne, a Native American and director of the American Indian Center at SCSU, has a close personal tie to the program. Knutson-Kolodzne’s daughter attends Apollo High School. His leadership spurred the help and support of other American Indian parents to write grants to get funding for the program and to employ a coordinator for District 742.

“There are 13 teachers in the District that have had training on tribal sovereignty and the 13 nations,” says Knutson-Kolodzne. “We have a close relationship between St. Cloud State and the District. We’ve had Lacey work with the media specialist at the SCSU library to get Lacey the access she needs to resources.”

Connecting resources to meet teacher needs is another large portion of Lokken’s job.

“Staff would really like more [resources], which is difficult because there is only one of me,” describes Lokken.

Lokken is currently in the process of making trunks of native art and items that teachers can check-out to use in their classrooms. In addition, when the teachers check out the trunks,  they receive guidance on how to teach in a way that is interpreted correctly by students.

Maya Cloud, a senior at McKinley-ALC, says, “I feel like having Lacey is like having our voice.”

“We can go to her for anything,” adds Cynthia Grover, another senior at McKinley. “I think our culture is important. People think we’re Mexican and they are surprised to find out that I’m native.”

Grover and Cloud moved to the area from the Twin Cities and are thrilled with having the program in place.

“Up here, it’s more interesting to learn more about being native,” says Grover. “I feel like there is more exposure. I like being Native American. I think it’s cool.”

Gover is of the Ojibwe, Lakota, Menominee, Chippewa and Cheyenne River tribes and Cloud is Ojibwe, Dakota, Lakota and Sister Sioux.

Cloud explains that there is a school in the Twin Cities that teaches their native languages.

“It bothers me that I don’t know my language. I just don’t have the resources,” says Cloud. “I want to be able to say ‘Yes,’ when I’m asked if I know my language. I can’t and it bothers me.”

Cloud goes on to explain, “Lacey is just helpful. She is able to pull strings and connect us with the right people. I wouldn’t have even tried out for the basketball team if it wouldn’t have been for her.”

Grover and Cloud are trying to break barriers and be trendsetters. As varsity basketball players for Apollo High School, their goal is to be like Shoni and Jade Schimmel, two American Indian sisters who play collegiate basketball for Louisville. The Schimmels grew up in poverty and overcame their challenges and adversities.

“The Louisville American Indian sisters, Shoni and Jade Schimmel, that’s how I want us to be,” Grover refers to Cloud and herself.

The two have become like sisters.

“I want to put out for Minneapolis and St. Cloud, be a positive role model to other Native kids.”

Lokken connects with the students by sharing her own personal story.  She, herself, was one of those students she tries to reach. Lokken was the second in her family to graduate from high school and the first to graduate from college.

“I didn’t grow up with the conversation of where I wanted to go to school after high school. It’s been my experience that it’s not that families aren’t supportive, it’s more that they don’t know how to support the students,” says Lokken. “Instead of asking a student what job they want to do after school, I’ll ask, ‘What problem do you want to solve?'”

“I want to be the first to graduate and make it. I’ve always been big on school. Not that I like it,” laughs Cloud. “It’s just important. I have a plan and when I set a goal, I get to my goal.”

Cloud wants to attend the University of Minnesota or Kansas State and go into orthodontics or “do what Lacey does.” Grover wants to go to college to play basketball, but then would like to go into home or road construction.

“I think it’s good that they made this program. They should keep it going. Everybody should have the opportunity to have someone like Lacey.”