Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Language Department began offering Potawatomi classes to public school systems in 2017 after the curriculum met Oklahoma state standards for a world language credit. The department expanded to Shawnee Middle School in 2021. At the beginning of the academic year, it presented sixth graders the option to take Potawatomi as a 9-week elective course.
In June, Shawnee Public Schools science teacher Cheyenne Branscum flew to Washington D.C. as Oklahoma’s only recipient of a Society for Science and the Public grant. The society invited Branscum, a Tribal member and Melot family descendant, to its advocate training institute. There she met fellow educators from across the nation, exchanging ideas and best Read More »