Running Strong for American Indian Youth® introduced our Dreamstarter Teacher grant program in 2017. This program aims to support the dreams of Native youth by awarding up to $5,000 in grants to teachers, librarians, and other educators to fulfill the unmet needs of their Native students.
For the 2024-2025 School year, Running Strong selected 12 new educators to receive $5,000 to put into their classrooms to support Native Youth in reaching their dreams. Halfway through the school year, these educators are already making great strides to positively impact their communities and shape young learners into future leaders. Here are just a few stories so far:
Brook LaFloe’s dream is to help her young learners connect with their culture and foster a strong school community through Drum and Dance lessons. Since the start of the school year, Brook has hosted monthly Drum & Dance sessions where students can practice their skills and connect with other Native students and families. In October, the Dance and Drum group started the event with their first performance for the Indigenous People’s Day celebration. Brook reports that the event was well attended by families and the community and received a huge outpouring of support and gratitude for the children’s performance, so much so that the school has decided to make it a goal to attend next year.
Analysa Allison’s dream is to empower her students to explore future opportunities and post-secondary education by creating a supportive, culturally relevant community of role models, educators, and fellow students. In October, Analysa hosted the Annual Naat’áánii Day. At this yearly gathering, Native and Hispanic students can hear from inspirational speakers, network, and learn about opportunities through various organizations, including colleges and technical schools. The event was very successful, leaving students and educators feeling inspired and enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead. Following the summit, many secondary schools in the district continued to host Native Clubs that focus on cultural games, stories, and crafts to continue the connections they built at the summit.
Donald King’s dream is to empower his Native students and promote awareness and appreciation for cultural diversity in his school community. So far, Donald has begun integrating culturally relevant materials into his classroom, including many books highlighting Native Authors and their stories and supplies for beading and cultural crafts that have been incorporated into art lessons. Donald has also hosted several events, including a Family Night, guest speakers, and field trips to museums of local tribes. In the Spring, Donald looks forward to taking his students to visit more museums and colleges with Tribal Studies programs.
Tiffany Cacy’s dream is to promote physical and mental wellness through sports and outdoor play for all students, including those with differing physical ability levels. With the Dreamstarter Teacher grant, Tiffany was able to purchase sensory play toys and larger items that promote balance and climbing-based play. Tiffany reports that her students love the new equipment and are rarely ready to move on to other activities. These play items are helping to create a more inclusive play environment for all students to interact, learn, and move. She is excited to continue watching her students use these tools and hopes to see continued improvement in students’ physical and social abilities.
Edith Suber’s dream is to promote student wellness and improve engagement in the classroom by implementing a teaching garden where her students can learn hands-on. With her grant, Edith was able to re-establish the school’s previous garden space into a flourishing lab where students can practically apply their lessons in math, history, and cultural teachings. Edith has also seen growth in the students’ social abilities, such as sharing and patience, and improvements in areas like collaboration and attention to detail.
We look forward to following our Dreamstarter Teachers’ successes throughout the rest of the school year and watching their impact continue for years to come as their students flourish into the leaders of the next generation.
Teacher Joe Duckpoo – Working towards student success
For the past eight years, Joe Duckpoo (Round Valley Indian Tribe) had been a teacher at Round Valley Elementary/Middle School (RVEMS) in Covelo, California, located in the remote, northeastern corner of the state, adjacent to the Round Valley Indian Reservation, the second largest in state, serving the students of the Round Valley Indian Tribes.
Today, Joe is the principal at RVEMS and is using his Dreamstarter Teacher grant – which has risen fivefold to $5,000 for the 2024-2025 academic year – to fund a project called COLTSS (Community Opportunities to Learn Together for Student Success in recognition of the school’s mascot – the Colts) serving 325 students.
Midway through the school year, the grant has funded a culturally relevant schoolwide presentation by a community elder for students K-8, featuring topics on drug/alcohol prevention, building self-esteem, promoting opportunities to excel in school, and anti-bullying.
The funding also sponsored a Family Game Night attended by more than 200 students and parents, enabling the school to purchase a portable public announcement system and accessories for its mobile presentations.
“One major success is having so many parents/families/community members come into the schools to support our students,” Joe reported in February. “It helps the students have a better sense of belonging and builds their self-esteem by showcasing their learning materials/projects.”
Speaking personally for himself, Joe told us, “I have grown up in the Round Valley community, where a lot of my family has served as educators in various capacities, ranging from after-school tutors to Indian Education Directors to teachers and administrators.
“I have been inspired to work with youth to provide opportunities to them that I did not have as a Native youth growing up on an impoverished reservation.
Adrienne Edmondson – Providing the Cahuilla community with information on the impact of climate change
Adrienne Edmondson is a tribal educator at the Temalpakh Farm Education Center in the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians Reservation in Coachella, California, who told us in her Dreamstarter Teacher grant request that “Our mission is to provide the Cahuilla tribes, the community, and schools with vital information on the impact of climate change.
“We aim to address concerns related to the environment (air, quality, waste, clean water, and pollution) and the steps necessary to save our planet. By educating the community and schools on the Cahuilla Indians and their commitment to preserving the earth for future generations, we hope to inspire a new generation of environmental stewards.
Adrienne explained that “our project is not just another sustainability initiative. It presents a unique and privileged opportunity for the community to delve into the exceptional contributions of the Cahuilla Indians. This grant will enable us to significantly enrich our current sustainability project and tours and create vibrant cultural programs, offering the community an exclusive and special insight into these practices. More importantly, it will provide our tribal family, especially the children, insight into their history and tribal talents that are part of the Cahuilla nation. We are privileged to be a part of this journey.”
Specifically, Adrienne outlined the steps she plans to take during the grant period, including delivering programs that educate the community about the cultural practices of the Cahuilla Indians. She noted that they “were the original stewards of the land” who preserved and only harvested what they needed to preserve the land for future generations.
The cultural creativity of the Cahuilla Indians “is a treasure recognized in the arts, music and culinary fields,” she said, adding, “We are deeply concerned about the fading art of basketry and jewelry making.
“These art forms are on the verge of extinction, and the history behind them in tribes has not been adequately passed on to the younger generation. Our collective responsibility is to urgently preserve these invaluable cultural practices before they are lost forever.”
In addition, the Temalpakh Farm aims to foster an environment where individuals understand climate change and its impact “and also feel a personal commitment to improving the environment,” said Adrienne. “This project is not just about us but about empowering the community to take active steps towards environmental stewardship.”
In February, Adrienne reported that with the grant funding from Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, “we are transforming into a community resource center.”
She cites a partnership with a local charter school that has enlisted the education center’s help to create an afterschool program. Recently, two master gardening groups and a community college visited the farm to learn about its produce and gain insights into our tribe.
“It was intriguing for them to discover that we are one of the smaller tribes in the United States and that we chose to pursue farming,” Adrienne told us. “The dream of our past tribal leader was to provide clean food for the community. We are also building a relationship with a local food bank to share information about climate change.”
In addition, she said the staff is excited to launch the farm’s first Earth Day event on April 4, 2025. This event will be held exclusively for fifth-grade students, and an expected 350 will attend.
Adrienne reported that one of the successes has been an increase in the number of groups wanting to visit the farm.
“I am receiving requests from groups that cannot afford our tour fee, so I am working on ways to waive the fee and provide the visit,” she reported. “The other challenge is finding elders who have time to work with us on implementing our basketweaving and jewelry classes.
“I want to ensure that those who participate hear the stories and understand the meaning behind the craft they are learning. “The goal is to pass on the history and the meaning of why these crafts (ways) are important to the future.”
Jessica French – Creating a Nature-Based Classroom
Jessica French is a pre-kindergarten teacher at the Cherokee Central Schools’ (CCS) Hope Center in Franklin, North Carolina, serving the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
“One of the beautiful things about CCS is their mission to empower their students, preserve our nation, and ensure our future,” stated Jessica in her Dreamstarter Teacher grant request.
Jessica told us that she was asking for a grant “to first introduce my classroom to what it is like to be in nature and to learn with real natural objects. I would then follow up with a classroom revamp in which I bring nature to the classroom.”
She explained that multiple studies have been conducted surrounding the benefits of adding natural objects to the classroom, telling us, “You can see it in their increased physical health, enhanced creativity, teamwork skills, and overall appreciation of nature.
Among the expenditures she was planning on for the grant funds was a field trip entitled “Introduction to Nature” to take the kids out to experience learning in nature. This would be a great way to establish why classroom updates are important and would play an important role in getting students excited about a new classroom.
The updates include a “block center” which accommodates four students and provides building block materials, people and animals which she hoped to have Cherokee high school students who are taking a wood carving class carve animals, as well as a “Move it & Music Center” for two children who want to dance or get active and science and discovery and reading centers.
For the outdoors, she wanted to invest in making a garden bed and purchasing soil, seeds, and other items so that they could have their own garden to plant and grow crops.
Since starting her project last fall, she has been able to purchase new classroom materials and décor and create a more nature-based classroom.
After purchasing her top items, she said she was able to score the children’s overall well-being before implementing new additions and replacements, and ” immediately you could tell the difference with students.
“They came to class excited, and they were more relaxed throughout the day, and instead of piling up in one specific center, they showed interest in other areas.
“It’s been amazing to see my kids with autism take to the grass textured carpet and enjoy some of the natural material in the centers.”
Jessica notes, “A nature-based classroom has shown to improve a child’s physical health, mental health, cognitive development, social skills and environmental awareness. And to me students respond better when nature is involved.
“Being in pre-kindergarten is a huge role. It isn’t just playtime – we are laying the foundation of how they view learning and school.
“It truly makes the biggest difference in their future success in school.”
Serena Inda – A mural to express culture and social justice
Serena Inda is a second-grade teacher at Round Valley Elementary School in Covelo, California, whose Dreamstarter Teacher project is to have students create a mural on campus based on Native culture serving the Round Valley Indian Tribes, which is a confederation of the Yuki, Wailacki, Nomlacki, Concow, Little Lake Pomo, and Pit River tribes.
“Students will learn about current Native American artists and will themselves be ‘artivists’ (a person who uses art to advocate for social change and justice),” Serena stated in her grant application. “Art will be used to express oneself, heal, and stand up for social justice.”
Serena explained that her project mission is “to inspire students to use art to express themselves, to speak up for justice and equality, and to give them a voice and space to be heard.
“This is done through the study of current Native American artists, art in the classroom, and a mural painted on campus,” she said. “Art is used as space to heal, a powerful medium for change and a SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) tool”
Her first objective was for students to learn what it is to be an artivist, which was done through a book study class of “The Artivist” by Nikkolas Smith, which each student received a copy to take home and keep.
Throughout the school year, a current Native artist is highlighted each month, with students learning about their history and art form, then creating art using that medium, “giving students a chance to participate in art, as well as see someone of Native descent working as a successful artist.”
The final activity is to paint a mural on campus “that sends a positive message and honors Native culture and history” culminating with a final project of students’ choice to showcase what they learned throughout the year.
Serena notes that “Our community has a history of trauma and abuse,” and within the last year alone, there have been several tragic deaths involving youth.
“Through art students can be given a place to express themselves, a place to heal, to be heard and stand up for what they believe in. For some students, they may find an outlet that can serve them later in life.”
Serena noted that the school has space for more murals, “which can add warmth and add personality to a campus. For this particular class, they are in second grade, so this mural will be there throughout their school careers.
“It will create memories for the class as a whole, and something they are a part of on their campus. It can be something they can share with friends and family and be something to be proud of they helped to create.”
In February, Serena reported that the class read “The Artivist” and made signs and marched in the school’s “Idle No More” (a protest movement to advocate for Indigenous rights and environmental protection) walk.
They have studied the work of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith (a Native American visual artist and political activist who died Jan. 24, 2025, at age 85) and have started their artist study on Frank Big Bear (Chippewa Tribe, White Earth Band) who is known for his use of Prismacolor pencils.
“We will be doing a project using pencils,” said Serena.
And with the school year still a few months away, “our next step is planning our mural,” which includes determining its content and location.
Serena already describes her Dreamstarter Teacher project as a success noting that her students have found they “love to make art.”
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