Red Lake Middle/High School Addition is dedicated

By Michael Barrett

Red Lake Net News

      On Friday, August 20, 2004, the Red Lake School District dedicated their new addition that connected the High School to the Middle School.

      That addition, designed by the DLR Group of the Twin Cities and constructed by Kraus-Anderson, gave the school 12 new modern classrooms which included four rooms for English classes, three math rooms, three science rooms with lab facilities, a computer lab, a home economics room and a new culture center, which was designed with a traditional atmosphere throughout.

      “Today is a very important day in the Red Lake School District,” Superintendent Stuart Desjarlait said at the dedication. “Today we have a new building, a new addition, as part of a bonding bill that we received over two years ago.”

      The funding for the project came from a $12.4 million capital bonding bill from the Minnesota State Legislature. That funding also allowed for remodeling of some classrooms and adding other classrooms at the Ponemah School and Red Lake Early Childhood Center.

      Ken Litzau, Middle School, said they wanted to dedicate and bless the building properly, so they asked Spiritual Leader Greeting Spears to bless it, conduct a pipe ceremony and sing honor songs.

      Desjarlait said the Board of Education was responsible for reviewing and approving design plans to the building, and those members were Jody Beaulieu, Dorothy Cobenais, Arnold Pemberton, Roy Nelson, Keith Defoe and Barb Thomas.

      They had also involved a lot of people from the community in planning the building, including the Elders, Veterans, and state Senators.

      “There’s a lot of hoops we had to jump through–we’re still jumping,” Desjarlait said. “Board Members they say, we’ll jump as long we get buildings like this for our kids.”

      Desjarlait called upon High School Principal Chris Dunshee and Middle School Principal Farron, who would both be sharing the new addition, and presented them with tobacco to help them keep the building clean, preserved and safe. He also presented Red Lake Elementary School Principal Jean Whitefeather and Ponemah School Principal Ramona Dreuer with a sage burning container for the same purpose.

      He also credited Monte Hammit of Hammit Consultants, for doing a lot of work in insuring the paperwork was done right, that DLR and Kraus-Anderson followed the procedures that were in place, and by making sure everything in the Culture Room was done properly.

      In the hall area was a showcase with a dance outfit donated by Desjarlait. The outfit was given to him by his grandfather, Bill Dudley. Two other outfits were donated by Delores Hammit that she had used to dance.

      Desjarlait said more history was going to be displayed throughout the school.

      “When kids come in they’re going to see pictures of their ancestors hanging up there,” he said. “They’ll see the Chiefs from the 1889 Treaty up there, as a reminder of what they have done [throughout Red Lake’s history].”

      Monte Hammit thanked the spiritual leaders for their guidance and the School Board for their participation and what they had for the vision of the children.

      “It is beautiful to see our Red Lake members in charge of our education component and seeing what’s being done and the products that are coming out here–the number of Red Lake students now who are teachers, who are nurses, who are in our clinics, and they are working in the forests,” Hammit said. “This is about economic development, it’s education, and it’s for the children’s future.”

      He also thanked the DLR Group and Kraus-Anderson, the furniture manufacturer, and those people who contributed the crafts in the display case.

      Delores Hammit explained the clan symbols of the Red Lake Nation that were displayed in the Culture Room, the four directions of the room, and what they planned on adding in the future–which included displaying a drum near the clan symbols as well.

      After additional honor songs were sung by Greeting Spears and his drum group, a tour was presented through some of the new classrooms, and a traditional walleye feast took place in the Middle School Cafeteria.