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Indian Education Program
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CLB School Powwow 2023! Held inside due to weather, we had all PreK-12th grade CLB students in the CLBHS Gym on Tuesday 5/30/2023. This is the first all-school powwow held in many years for our school district. For our MC, we had Mr. Wes Jourdain from Red Lake, and Mr. Pat Haugen (CLB) as our Arena Director. Host Drum was Little Bear from Red Lake, and Co-Host Drum was Nut Hill from Leech Lake. We were joined by the CLB Elementary singers, and Deer River School Drum and Dance.
The Cass Lake-Bena Indian Education Program is designed to meet the unique educational and culturally relevant needs of our Indigenous students, which make up close to 90% of our student population. Our overall goal is to provide academic and culturally relevant support that may be necessary to ensure that each and every one of our students successfully progress toward graduation at all grade levels, as well as encourage and prepare them to seek post-secondary training and education.
Our CLB Indian Education Program is mainly funded by two grants, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) American Indian Education Aid grant, and the Office of Indian Education (OIE) Federal Grant. Every year, the grant amount is determined by the number of eligible students in the school district, in the case of these grants, American Indian Students.
We utilize this funding to provide teachers in Ojibwe language and culture instruction for PreK-12 grades, Indian Studies electives and academic advising in the high school, and to provide culturally relevant curriculum, books, and media to all students and staff across the school district.
Contact Us!
Director of Indian Education: Rochelle Pemberton
218-335-2203 ext. 1322
rpemberton@isd115.net
Indian Education Secretary: Emmy Morgan
218-335-2203 ext. 1206
emorgan@isd115.net
Our offices are located at the Cass Lake-Bena High School:
Address: 15308 State Highway 371 NW, Cass Lake, MN 56633
Fax: 218-335-7649
Visit our other pages!
Indian Education Forms
This form serves as the official record of the eligibility determination for each individual child included in the student count for the Title VI Indian Education Formula Grant Program. The grantee (CLB Indian Education) receives the grant funds based on the number of eligible forms counted during the established count period. This form will be kept on file in the Indian Education Office and will not need to be completed every year.
At our CLB Indian Education office, we need a copy of a JOM Student Certification Form for each student. Once we have this on file and it is verified that a student meets the qualifications, we are able to add the student to the CLB JOM list. Students must be a PreK-12 grade student at CLB Schools to be a CLB JOM Student. A student can qualify for JOM if: the student is a member of a federally recognized tribe, be able to provide proof of 1/4 combined blood to qualify (ex. if a student is 1/8 Red Lake and 1/8 Leech Lake, the student can qualify for JOM)
JOM Information for our School
The CLB Indian Education Department assists the JOM Committee that represents CLB by- 1) providing the student list to determine the JOM funding, 2) field questions from families regarding JOM, 3) and assists families to fill out JOM request forms we have created and send these requests to the JOM Committee. It is the JOM Committee's responsibility to meet and approve these requests, and once approved, these requests are sent to the Leech Lake JOM Program to be processed.
The Johnson O’Malley (JOM) Program provides financial assistance to eligible students in eight school districts on or near the Leech Lake Reservation. Each district’s respective Johnson O’Malley Parent Committee establishes policies and procedures regarding financial assistance for school related activities. The JOM committees are elected from parents or legal guardians of eligible Indian students. A student can qualify for JOM if: the student is a member of a federally recognized tribe, be able to provide proof of 1/4 combined blood to qualify (ex. if a student is 1/8 Red Lake and 1/8 Leech Lake, the student can qualify for JOM)
For the 2022-2023 school year, JOM will reimburse JOM families up to $60 for school shoes, and purchase the "D" picture package through Image Photography for school photos.
American Indian Parent Advisory Committee/Local Indian Education Committee (AIPAC/LIEC)
The AIPAC/LIEC is comprised of a group of caregivers such as: parents, grandparents, and guardians of American Indian children. Our AIPAC also includes 2-3 elder representatives from the community, and one teacher representative from each CLB School Building. The committee meets monthly over the course of the school year including a meeting in August and June. The committee serves as a crucial communication link between our American Indian Community and the Cass Lake-Bena School District.
Please see the AIPAC/LIEC Parent Committee Page if you would like to learn more! AIPAC/LIEC Page