Waadookodaading
| Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
8575 W Trepania Rd, Hayward, WI 54843 United States 45°56′38″N 91°21′25″W / 45.944°N 91.357°W | |
| Information | |
| Type | Indigenous nonprofit organization |
| Established | 2001 |
Principal | Lisa LaRonge |
| Grades | K–8 |
| Enrollment | 415 (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
[edit]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
[edit]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] The name of the school roughly translates to “helping one another.”[5]
Facility
[edit]Waadookodaading is physically connected to the English-language Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School, but functions autonomously.[6]
Academics
[edit]In addition to state and federally-mandated academic requirements, Waadookodaading provides cultural activities such as harvesting wild rice and syrup, as well as snowshoeing.[7][8] The school currently offers kindergarten through eighth grade education.[6]
Organization and funding
[edit]Waadookodaading is an independent charter institution.[9] In 2024, it received $5 million in federal funding aimed at expanding its operations to K-12.[10] The Administration for Native Americans also granted the school $300,000 in 2024.[11] In December 2024, the school announced that it received a $1.5 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.[12]
References
[edit]- ↑ "LCO Ojibwe School Hits Record Enrollment at 415 Students". Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- ↑ "Voices in the Wilderness: Language Integrity". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. January 2022.
- ↑ "History – Waadookodaading". www.waadookodaading.org. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- ↑ "Wisconsin's Native Tribes Are Taking Action to Keep Their Languages From Dying Out". Milwaukee Magazine. March 27, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- ↑ Fund, College (April 3, 2025). "Embracing Culture, Family, and Education | American Indian College Fund". collegefund.org. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- 1 2 Kim, Yvonne (November 13, 2019). "'The place where we help each other'". The Cap Times. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- ↑ Koran, Mario (April 7, 2021). "'Race against the clock': the school fighting to save the Ojibwe language before its elders pass away". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- ↑ "Waadookodaading – The Ways". PBS Wisconsin Education. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- ↑ "Search for Public School Districts - District Detail for Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute Inc". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
- ↑ "Northern Wisconsin to receive support from annual funding legislation". WSAW-TV. April 3, 2024.
- ↑ Staff, Native News Online (August 8, 2024). "Administration for Native Americans Awards Over $7 Million to the Preservation of Native Languages". Native News Online. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
- ↑ Staff, Native News Online (December 24, 2024). "Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute Receives $1.5 Million Gift from MacKenzie Scott to Advance Language Revitalization Efforts". Native News Online. Retrieved January 10, 2025.