On Friday, Nov. 18, Glenwood School hosted a celebration in the gym to commemorate Native American Heritage Month. Miss Yakama Nation, Ellia-Lee Jim, spoke of her role representing the Yakama Nation and her life and family in the Sahaptin language, then English. Afterward, she joined the Tiny Swan Dancers, who presented several dances with deep cultural meaning to the Yakama People. Before each dance, the leader of the dance group told the story the dance represented.
I was sitting by a little kindergartner. She was a bit fidgety at first, but when I explained to her that each dance was telling a story, she became very focused and enthralled. It was so great to watch when she could actually “see” the swans in the Swan Dance and the caterpillars and butterflies in the Butterfly Dance. The dances were beautiful to watch. Following the assembly, students, staff, and visitors were invited to participate in beading crafts and enjoy delicious fry bread made and served by Annette Tomeo.
Prior to the assembly, I had the pleasure of meeting artist Jan Whitefoot. Jan grew up in Harrah, surrounded by the Yakama art and culture that has inspired her for many years. She and her daughter Lisa have an art studio in Harrah, where they feature their beautiful art, including beaded pieces, baskets, paintings, and so much more. I was pleased to learn that Jan is now planning to open a Whitefoot art studio right here in Glenwood, in the commercial building next to the Mt. Adams RV Park. I’m looking forward to visiting her there as well as taking friends and family there when it opens. Stay tuned for more information regarding the studio opening date.
Jan’s daughter will continue to operate the Whitefoot Studio in Harrah. I actually have a Jan Whitefoot creation, a small chest she donated to a fundraiser auction here several years ago, and it was my pleasure to finally meet her in person.
On Nov. 14, our Glenwood Middle School Eagles basketball teams played Lyle here in the home gym. The Eagles girls only have five players and there were two quarters when they were forced to play with only four girls on the team. Nevertheless, the game was very close. Our Eagles girls played hard and well. Our Eagles boys had a more difficult time as size was a definite factor. Lyle has several big, tall boys on their team, which prevented our smaller players from getting in to make baskets. But, again, the boys played hard and never gave up. We should all feel very proud of the spirit and grit shown by the girls’ and boys’ teams.
Now colds and flu have hit the Glenwood school hard. Many of the middle school players have been out sick and their games with Trout Lake and Bickleton were canceled. It remains to be seen if they’ll have enough players for their next games. Whatever is going around is pretty rough.
Our Glenwood High School and Junior High School rodeo athletes and their families, along with other county HS/JHS rodeo athletes, have been busy making Christmas swags for their winter fundraiser. They made more than 700 beautiful swags, which were sold at their sale in Goldendale on Nov. 20.
I ended up with two beautiful swags. The dedication of these kids is amazing. Many of them are participating in school sports and are busy with their school work, but made the time to work hard on this fundraiser. Thank you, rodeo kids. My swags are incredibly beautiful.
It’s not too late to get one, if you weren’t able to attend the swag sale. You can call the Glenwood school at 509-364-3438 to give your contact information and one of our rodeo athletes will contact you.
Glenwood school hosted students and their families and all the staff at a delicious Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 23. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at the school are a tradition that goes back decades. The school cooks, Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Keithley, prepared a delicious dinner. The Associated Student Body officers helped with the serving. Thank you, Glenwood school, for carrying on this wonderful tradition.
As we approach the holidays, many former Glenwood students will be home from college visiting family. I would love to hear from them, catching up on how their lives are going since graduating from Glenwood High School. If your college student is home visiting, please have her or him contact me or stop by.
Mary Pierce writes about the community of Glenwood every other week in Columbia Gorge News. Please send any news items to gmpierce09@gmail.com.
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