The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday to honor the leaders, funders and various stakeholders who made the opening of the Kwiyagat Community Academy a reality, according to a news release from the Keystone Policy Center.
The ceremony will include Tina King-Washington, K-12 Education director; Goldlin Wall, Ph.D; Lyndreth Wall, Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council; Daniel Porter, head of school; and Millie Hamner, Keystone Policy Center.
Attendees may tour the school after the ceremony, which runs 4 to 6 p.m. at 450 Sunset Blvd., in Towaoc, about 12 miles south of Cortez.
The Keystone Policy Center has worked with Ute Mountain Ute leaders to help develop a comprehensive cultural approach to education on the reservation. Kwiyagat is the first school to be located on the Ute Mountain Ute reservation.
“This long-term initiative creates a comprehensive educational master plan that integrates Ute arts, language, and culture into all levels of education curriculum; provides a strong focus on science, technology, engineering, (Native) arts, and math; and will offer wrap-around services to support youth and families on and off the reservation,” according to a news release from Marquez Chavez of the Keystone Policy Center.
Kwiyagat Community Academy, the new Ute Mountain Ute charter school, opened its doors in August to 23 kindergarten and first grade students.
In January, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe was awarded a grant from the RISE Education Fund to support the initiative. The RISE Education fund was launched in Sep. 2020 by the State of Colorado to support high-needs school districts, charter schools, and public institutions of higher education to address the learning challenges related to the economic, social, and health impacts of COVID-19 in a manner that creates sustainable innovations that improve student learning, close equity gaps, and enhance operational efficiency.
