LAPS NEWS RELEASE
Los Alamos Public Schools is celebrating Native American Heritage Month during November. This past Tuesday, the School Board unanimously approved the Native American Heritage Month Resolution recognizing the rich and diverse cultures, and contributions of Native Americans and will continue to support the work to preserve the language, history and traditions of tribes and pueblos. LAPS recognizes that its schools sit on Native American Homelands. New Mexico is home to 23 tribes and 19 pueblos.
The School Board also encourages all students, staff and parents to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of Native Americans and to reflect on how we can further help to strengthen tribal communities in New Mexico.
The Los Alamos Public Schools Native American Parent Advisory Council, along with the Los Alamos Middle School Native Hawk Club and the Los Alamos High School Native American Club have scheduled presentations and events for students and families to celebrate Native American cultures and traditions as part of Native American Heritage Month.
Rock Your Mocs Week 2021, will be celebrated next week. Rock Your Mocs week was started in 2011 by Jessica Jaylyn Atsye of Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, and beginning in 2013 has been organized by event producer Melissa Sanchez as a worldwide movement every Nov. 15.
During Rock Your Mocs Week, people wear their moccasins, take a photo, create a video or story, add the hashtag #ROCKYOURMOCS and upload to social media. Rock Your Mocs week is an opportunity for Native peoples to celebrate tribal individuality and a celebration of Indigenous cultures. Non-Native individuals may also participate in the solidarity and respect of Native peoples by wearing Native-made moccasins.
For more information on the history of Rock Your Mocs Week please visit: https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/5th-annual-week-long-rock-your-mocs-celebration-was-a-true-success.
On Tuesday, Nov. 16, Entas Tanina Williams will share “The Transformers Story” — the story of Mink, the brothers, the sister, and a lesson in being a true friend via Zoom. Entas Tanina Williams is from Lil’wat Nation, British Columbia. She is a lifelong learner and loves to share her learning with others. She is a storyteller, wool weaver, drum maker, carver, and maker of many other beautiful crafts including leather clothing, cedar clothing, cedar work, circle protocol and she is a proud bannok maker.
For more information, or for the zoom link to this event, contact Julie Dare, Liaison for Native American Students and Families, at j.dare@laschools.net.
Currently, LAPS is home to 128 Native American Students enrolled in grades PreK-12. Students represent a diversity of tribal affiliations. Middle school students are encouraged to join the Native Hawk club which meets every Thursday during lunch. The LAHS Native American club meets the first and third Fridays of the month during lunchtime.
Community members are welcome to join in the activities planned for the week.
For more information about the 2021 National Native American Heritage Month celebration, go to https://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/.