Ojibwe teacher Tayah Reyes takes attendance while speaking the language at Coon Rapids High School, just north of Minneapolis. About 20 students, from freshmen to seniors, respond to their names with “indaaya oma” to announce their presence.
Reyes is a citizen of the St. Croix Band of Chippewa Indians. She is also a descendant of the Ho-Chunk Nation. She teaches level one Ojibwe classes at both Coon Rapids and Anoka High Schools. The classes are grant-funded through the state.
“When I came here for open house, the parents, guardians were like, ‘We are so excited, and thank you for taking this job, and thank you for doing this.’ And they said that their student was so happy,” Reyes said.
Anoka-Hennepin School District serves just under 1,200 students who identify as Indigenous. Mindy Meyers is the school district’s American Indian Education Coordinator…