Waadookodaading
History
The immersion program was started during the 2000–2001 academic school year by the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.
Mission
The school was primarily conceived to preserve the Ojibwe (Anishinaabe)-language in Wisconsin, where only a few dozen elderly native speakers were estimated to remain in 2019.
Facility
Waadookodaading is physically connected to the English-language Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School, but functions autonomously.
Academics
In addition to state and federally-mandated academic requirements, Waadookodaading provides cultural activities such as harvesting wild rice and syrup, as well as snowshoeing. The school currently offers kindergarten through eighth grade education.
Organization and funding
Waadookodaading is an independent charter institution. In 2024, it received $5,000,000 in federal funding aimed at expanding its operations to K-12. The Administration for Native Americans also granted the school $300,000 in 2024.
References
- ^ "LCO Ojibwe School Hits Record Enrollment at 415 Students". Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- ^ "Voices in the Wilderness: Language Integrity". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. January 2022.
- ^ "History – Waadookodaading". www.waadookodaading.org. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ^ "Wisconsin's Native Tribes Are Taking Action to Keep Their Languages From Dying Out". Milwaukee Magazine. 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ^ Kim, Yvonne (2019-11-13). "'The place where we help each other'". The Cap Times. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ^ Koran, Mario (2021-04-07). "'Race against the clock': the school fighting to save the Ojibwe language before its elders pass away". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ^ "Waadookodaading – The Ways". PBS Wisconsin Education. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ^ "Search for Public School Districts - District Detail for Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute Inc". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ^ "Northern Wisconsin to receive support from annual funding legislation". WSAW-TV. April 3, 2024.
- ^ Staff, Native News Online (2024-08-08). "Administration for Native Americans Awards Over $7 Million to the Preservation of Native Languages". Native News Online. Retrieved 2024-11-14.