WAHPETON, N.D. - The Circle of Nations School celebrates its 100th anniversary with a series of events today through Friday including open house tours, a powwow and a ceremony for graduating eighth-graders.
Parts of that celebration will focus on the past and present of the former Wahpeton Indian School. But officials emphasize the school's importance to the future of Indian education with the completion of $20 million in building projects.
The capstone of the building boom is Keeble Hall, a state-of-the-art dormitory named after Medal of Honor winner Master Sgt. Woodrow Wilson Keeble, a former student and employee at the school.
"I'd really like to see our Indian community ... take advantage of the offerings here," said Harry Eagle Bull, vice chairman of the School Board. "They (parents) just need to take the chance" on the school."
Today's events include registration at 8 a.m., a general assembly at 9 a.m. and dedication of Keeble Hall at 10:30 a.m. A social with class photos and tours is from 1 to 5 p.m. The day ends with a show by comics Williams and Ree at 7 p.m. at Blikre Activity Center on the campus of the North Dakota School of Science in Wahpeton.
ADVERTISEMENT
A run/walk will start at 10 a.m. Thursday. There will be a social with tours from 1 to 5 p.m. A powwow will be held from 1 to 8:30 p.m. There will be singing, dance exhibitions and a hand drum contest.
An eighth-grade continuation (graduation) ceremony is scheduled at 9:30 a.m. Friday.
The school opened in February 1908. It now serves about 80 students
in grades four through eight, Superintendent David Keehn said.
The highest enrollment was 513 students in the 1973-74 school year, records show.
Two years of replacing water and sewer lines, plus a new library, administration building and Keeble Hall should help increase enrollment, Keehn said.
Keeble Hall is built for 160 students in eight wings. It's warmed and cooled with a geothermal system, lights are motion activated, and the two-student rooms have flat screen televisions with gaming capabilities, Residential Program Director Ronald "R.J." Rabbithead said.
Students come from 17 states and about 30 different tribes. Keehn said, mostly from North and South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
ADVERTISEMENT
For many students, the school represents stability: a chance to learn with three meals a day and a warm place to stay, Keehn said.
Anthony Miller, 12, of Hayward, Wis., likes the field trips and computers.
"It's better than where I come from," he said.
Sam Hill, 80, a former student and longtime employee, put together about 60 placards of photos and articles from the school's archives. In all, it's 177 feet of hand-lettered history that visitors and alumni can peruse, he said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Helmut Schmidt at (701) 241-5583
