Dodson School celebrates Native American Week

Dodson School punctuated a week's worth of activities during Native American Week with a community Indian taco feed and Pow Wow on Thursday.

Leading up to the Pow Wow, Dodson students studied a variety of Native America studies including a cross-curriculum project in which students were asked to set up a business plan for marketing Native plants, Native games during physical education classes and a Sweet Grass Braiding class taught by Dan Williams.

"I thought it was cool because I love the smell of Sweet Grass," said third grader Junior Stiffarm. "It reminds me of my Gran Frankie's house."

Dodson seventh grade student Nellene Messerly was in attendance when Darwin Doney gave a motivational speech to grades seven through 12 on Wednesday and said it was time well spent.

"I thought it was awesome," Messerly said. "He talked about how he came to Dodson and he was hurt and wasn't able to play in a basketball game. His teammates felt bad because he couldn't play, but he gave them a speech about how they could win without him. He was really good."

Jerimiah Henry, a student in the third grade, said that the Indian Tacos were a little different than he usually has at home, but said he finished the whole meal and was ready for more.

"I could eat another one right now," Henry said.

Kicking-off Thursday's events at Dodson School was the annual Community Indian Taco Feed. Head cook at the school, Dottie Simanton, said when it was all said and done, over 150 students, staff and community members had been served lunch. Simanton and assistant cook Donna Duncan spent a large portion of the afternoon getting go-plates put together for folks who weren't able to make it to the day's festivities.

Following the feed, the Pow Wow commenced. The event, organized by Wozek Chandler and Jenessa Talks Different, featured drumming by Catcher Cuts The Rope and a dozen male and female dancers of various ages performing several different dances in front of over 100 members of the audience.