Waadookodaading

Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute
Address
Map
8575 W Trepania Rd, Hayward, WI 54843

Hayward, Wisconsin

United States
Coordinates45°56′38″N 91°21′25″W / 45.944°N 91.357°W / 45.944; -91.357
Information
TypeCharter elementary/middle
Established2001
PrincipalBrooke Niiyogaabawiikwe Ammann
GradesK–8
Number of students415 (2023-24) [1]

Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute (Waadookodaading) is an Ojibwe-language immersion school located on the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Reservation in Hayward, Wisconsin.[2]

History

The immersion program was started during the 2000–2001 academic school year by the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.[3]

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.[4]

Facility

Waadookodaading is physically connected to the English-language Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School, but functions autonomously.[5]

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.[6][7] The school currently offers kindergarten through eighth grade education.[5]

Organization and funding

Waadookodaading is an independent charter institution.[8] In 2024, it received $5,000,000 in federal funding aimed at expanding its operations to K-12.[9] The Administration for Native Americans also granted the school $300,000 in 2024.[10]

References

  1. ^ "LCO Ojibwe School Hits Record Enrollment at 415 Students". Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  2. ^ "Voices in the Wilderness: Language Integrity". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. January 2022.
  3. ^ "History – Waadookodaading". www.waadookodaading.org. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  4. ^ "Wisconsin's Native Tribes Are Taking Action to Keep Their Languages From Dying Out". Milwaukee Magazine. 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  5. ^ a b Kim, Yvonne (2019-11-13). "'The place where we help each other'". The Cap Times. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Waadookodaading – The Ways". PBS Wisconsin Education. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  8. ^ "Search for Public School Districts - District Detail for Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute Inc". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  9. ^ "Northern Wisconsin to receive support from annual funding legislation". WSAW-TV. April 3, 2024.
  10. ^ 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.