We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
In an informal awards ceremony held on January 7, five members of the Nee-tha-hatsa-nak and Wa’Uspe-Wicakiya Preparation Program (NWPP) at Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC) received honors for their accomplishments during fall semester 2015.
Top award winner for the second consecutive semester was Melinda Jones, who landed the Prestigious 3-D Award for her outstanding performance. To secure the award, at midterm Jones had attained the highest grade point average (GPA), an academic achievement that she sustained until the semester’s close, finishing strong and earning a GPA of 3.7 or better. She also logged 28. 5 study hours and maintained a 94% meeting attendance record. In presenting the award, Dr. Donna L. Miller, Director of the NWPP, commended Jones for her willingness to meet or even to exceed expectations: “You can take pride in your diligence, generally positive attitude, and consistent work ethic, which provide a testament to your determination, discipline and drive.” Jones also received Best Meeting Attendance honors for her nearly perfect attendance record, and Miller told her, “I am proud of your commitment and the effort you invest as you make positive contributions to our team.”
For also attaining a GPA of 3.7 or better, Shaylea Tatsey earned a Certificate of Excellence. Tatsey’s strong record further led to an award for the Most A’s, an achievement with which she secured the highest semester GPA. During the award presentation, Miller complimented Tatsey for her stellar performance, saying: “You can take pride in your success because your seven A’s provide a testament to your commitment to excellence and to knowledge acquisition.”
Another Certificate of Excellence was awarded to Jessica Cochran for logging the greatest number of study hours, for maintaining an 86% meeting attendance record, for earning a 3.5 or better GPA, and for otherwise exhibiting the core characteristics of the NWPP: drive, determination and discipline.
Kayla Leo and Michelle Crazy both collected Certificates of Merit for their strong meeting attendance records and for garnering GPAs of 3.2 or better in fall 2015 coursework.
All five of these award winners are completing their student teaching experiences with local education agencies this semester. Melinda Jones is working under the mentorship of Ms. Courtney Bell, first grade teacher at Meadowlark Elementary in Chinook; Shaylea Tatsey accepted a placement with Ms. Nedra Flansburg, third grade teacher at Hays Lodge Pole Elementary School; and Jessica Cochran receives mentoring and teaching experience from Ms. Sherri Pronto, first grade teacher at Harlem Elementary School. Michelle Crazy also works at Harlem Elementary School in the fourth grade classroom with mentor teacher Ms. Kerry Johnson. Finally, Kayla Leo, is obtaining her pre-service experience at Box Elder Elementary School in the kindergarten with mentor teacher Ms. Autumn Fuzesy.
About these partnerships, Miller stated that “the ultimate goal of the Nee-tha-hatsa-nak and Wa’Uspe-Wicakiya Preparation Program is to prepare teachers who possess the personal experience, connection to community, and academic preparation needed to increase teaching effectiveness and to improve Indian student achievement, and we could not meet that goal without the partnerships the university system has with local education agencies. I am especially grateful to the classroom teachers for their time investment and nurturing mentorship.”
These five NWPP candidates will graduate in May with their BSEd degrees in Broadfield Elementary from MSU-Billings, ANC’s partner institution for the teacher training program.
