Craig City School District is working with community partners to weave culture and community into the school day. This past winter, the district worked with the Indigenous Education Committee and the Craig Tribal Association to host a Craig Elementary School Youth Gathering and Cultural Day. The event took place during the school day at the Craig Tribal Association Hall and featured everything from twining bracelets to Haida BINGO. Students rotated to stations hosted by CTA Staff and parent volunteers and received a stamp on their passport for each activity they completed.
One student told her Grandma it was her favorite day of the year.
These types of cultural and community-connected activities build a strong foundation for future success. Research shows that when schools build on families’ and communities’ funds of knowledge, students thrive.* And for Alaska Native students, it’s all the more important; college students who have a strong sense of positive cultural identity are more likely to succeed and have a higher GPA.**
* What Works, New Zealand
** Larimore & McClellan, 2005 p.21 & Huffman 2001
