Focus on TUSD - May 2007

Ochoa Students Make Masks After Learning About Native Heritage
Ochoa Elementary School students working on an after-school activity didn't try to mask their delight in their finished craft project.

Covering their faces with the brightly colored paper masks they'd made, they pretended they were dancing in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe's ceremonies they'd seen last month.

They were part of the Native American Advocacy group that began meeting on Mondays in February at Ochoa in an effort to teach children about their heritage and customs.

Feliciana Martinez, who works in TUSD's Native American Studies Department and visits District schools, supervised the project after she told the students about the origin of the masks. A member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Martinez travels with the Artsmobile Native American traveling van. She greeted students in the Yaqui language and told them the masks they made were called "pahko'ola mahka," which means an "old man of the festival."

Jane Fitzgerald is an Ochoa guidance counselor who has worked with Native American groups for years with the help of parents, grandparents and community resources.

Fitzgerald said that teaching students about their Native American heritage helps "increase their self-esteem, learn more about themselves and may help improve attendance later."
Students completed a survey before the group began about their involvement and impressions of their culture. They will answer the same questions as the sessions end this month to gauge what they've learned.

The children took two trips during Spring Break weekend to Pascua Yaqui ceremonies and planned to participate later in a retreat with their families.

They watched a video on the fiesta they attended that explained the traditions leading to the practices before they attached cut-out construction paper shapes to their masks. Kira Rendon, a counseling intern, guided them through the process.

Gluing a white paper beard to his mask, fifth-grader Angel Valenzuela said, "I like learning more about masks. I want to be a deer dancer some day."

Irene Villegas, the grandmother of 9-year-old student Aryanna Anaya, helps out with the group whenever she can. "Children take more pride in their culture when they know more about it," she said. "It will help in their jobs later if they work with tribes to know about it and carry on the tradition. When they make the masks, it helps explain the different symbols."

Alex Valenzuela didn't understand that explanation. He was only concerned with getting his mask done. "I'm giving it to my mother," he said. "She'll like it. I was careful with it to make sure it turned out good for her."

For him, it was a start in sharing his culture with his family.

-- By Sharon Dunham
Communications & Media Relations

TUSD - Proud Supporter of Small Classes

All photos in the May issue by Jes Ruvalcaba of Communications & Media Relations.

The deadline to submit material for the June Focus is Friday, June 8. The Focus will be published Monday, June 18. Email submissions to Chyrl Hill Lander or Sharon Dunham in the Communications & Media Relations Department or use the Focus Online Submission Form.