Celebrating Native American Day
OK, cautionary note: I am the proud product of Sioux Falls Public Schools. Started here in third grade, graduated from Washington High School when it was downtown.
Daughter of a couple who spent much of their working lives in the Sioux Falls School District; related to a couple employees now.
So when I saw this on Twitter, I immediately bristled a bit:
O’G is actually honoring Native American day. Explanation, SFPS?
I bristled a bit more when I drove past O’Gorman High School on my way to work from an assignment and saw no cars in the school parking lot.
So “honoring Native American day” means a vacation day?
I think you can honor the day by being in class and participating in a discussion of why South Dakota has this day that many other states still call Columbus Day (if they observe it at all. I learned on CBS Sunday Morning on Sunday how many states have dropped it from their calendar entirely). I learned on Twitter there’s a movement to rename the day nationally.
I’m also sure such discussions are going on in public school classrooms around Sioux Falls. When it’s a day off from the regular routine it becomes ordinary, like Veterans Day, or just a Monday holiday (like Memorial Day). How many people use a holiday to attend Veterans Day ceremonies? How many used Native American Day to attend a ceremony honoring that?
End of rant.
