Our Efforts
The CTC Coalition has been thankful for the many opportunities to work with our partnered organizations, and the amazing youth in our town.
Keya Foundation’s Communities That Care (CTC) Coalition Announces the November 2023 Good Relative Award Winners!
Through a partnership between the Keya Foundation’s Communities That Care (CTC) Coalition and Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Schools, we are working to recognize students on a monthly basis for being good relatives! A total of 8 students (1 from each grade with nominations), were selected for this award. These students were recognized for showing the Lakota Value of Honesty. CTC wants to thank the school staff that voted for students, and the students for deserving them! We are excited to see more winners throughout the school year. You can follow the CTC on Facebook to see photos of the winners, along with other events we host in the school at KeyaCTC, or visit our website at www.cheyenneriverctc.com
The winners from C-EB were:
Benjamin Rackard, Grade 2, voted for by Sianna Moran. "Benjamin is currently an office helper in Ms. Moran's classroom, he has shown the value of being honest by reporting any activity that may harm others. He asks for help when needed and is honest about not knowing the answers and that he needs more help in understanding what he is learning."
Louis LaDue, Grade 3, voted for by Vanessa LaPlante. "Louie is one of the most honest students you'll have the honor of getting to know. Since the beginning of the school year he has always spoke the truth. Sometimes, even I look to him to verify incidents often, because he's a very observant student as well. In class or when he's interacting with his peers, he is never afraid to stick up for the truth. If a problem occurs between students, he will say "that's actually not what happened" and go on to explain the scenario, while other students verify the story. These are the reasons why I think Louie deserves the Good Relative Award for Honesty. He is never afraid to speak out, even if he knows it's not the "coolest" to report things, the students he advocates for sure appreciate him!"
Justifyd Oakie, Grade 4, voted for by Mary Yvonne Baron. "Justifyd has demonstrated honesty in everything she does in our class and has shown herself to be a good example to her classmates. She is truly a good role model." - Not Pictures
Tusweca Afraid of Hawk, Grade 5, voted for by Ms.Afraid of Hawk. "She is always truthful and honest and not afraid to speak up."
Ronni Lowdog, Grade 6, voted for by Mrs. Farrar. "Ronni is always thinking of others. She tells the truth no matter what. I appreciate her courage and how she adds to our classroom community."
Turok Bartlett, Grade 7, voted for by Carmen O’neal. "Turok is such a polite young man. He always greets you with a good morning or have a good day, and is so respectful to everyone. Turok always goes above and beyond to earn his medals for Edmentum, and asks everyday for current grades. He never complains and always gets right to work. He would be an excellent candidate for the Good Relative Award!" Lillian Rousseaux, Grade 8, voted for by Heather Allen. "She is a very shy person, but will tell you the truth if asked- always wants to do the right thing and be a good person. She is also very kind and respectful"
Riley Kennedy, Grade 11, voted for by Kelly Shoemaker. "When they came back from the FFA trip she was not feeling well and stayed home to catch up on missing work before coming back to school."
Other students who were nominated for showing the Lakota Value of HONESTY are: Hannah Rackard, Tore Ducheneaux, Zachary Anderson, Skylar Dupris, Eilene Condon, Angelque Swan, Elaisyn Sand "EJ", and Kaison Harden!
Wopila Tanka to School staff for your nominations and students for deserving them! Follow us to see the winners next month!
For November our CTC Coalition worked with C-EB 2nd-12th grade students to embrace Native American Heritage month! 2nd-6th grade made their own tipis in the classroom, each representing a Lakota Value. Jr High and Highschool received a tipi teaching lesson with Cultural Leader Dave West, were they got to put their own tipi up in the gym, and use team work to really resonate in Mitákuye Oyášiŋ - All my relatives.
Congratulations to our C-EB October Good Relative Award Winners! October's theme was the Lakota Value of HUMILITY. Students nominated were entered (by respective grades) on a Spin-the-Wheel online tool which determined the winner. Please congratulate and feel free to tag family members of students listed to share in the recognition of their caring student! The following winner's are as follows:
Trey White Dress, Grade 2, voted for by Ms. Walters. "This is a little boy that does anything to help someone else. He cleans up other peoples areas if they don't. He likes to help me with whatever I am doing. He is courteous, shows respect and puts others before himself. He uses his manners."
Israel Hernandez Davita, Grade 3, voted for by Mrs. Barbosa. "Israel is such a kind, humble, and caring student. He shows more than humility in our classroom. He is helpful to his neighbor classmates, especially those sitting in his pod. For instance, this one time his neighbor was having a rough day and he said some positive things to brighten her day. He also helps anyone who needs help with their work and he makes sure no one is left out. Most importantly, Israel is a calm kiddo and always has a positive attitude when he's at school. Which is a blessing. I believe he deserves this award for sure. Yay, Israel!"
Navaeh Rosas, Grade 4, voted for by Mrs. Willison. "Navaeh is a kind, courteous student. She shares items with other students. She also has great manners."
Kansas Cass, Grade 5, voted for by Rochelle Schular. "She is always willing to help her classmates. She shows great manners and says sorry right away when needed."
Leia Moran, Grade 6, voted for by Mrs. Reeves. "Leia is a kind student who works hard in school. She goes above and beyond in everything she does from school work to archery!"
Corey Pearman, Grade 7, voted for by Ms. Larson. "Corey is hard worker and completes his work in class; he never complains about anything. He is quiet, but always has a smile."
Millie Gonzalez, Grade 8, voted for by Cesi Allen. "Millie stays on task with her schoolwork and represents respect and humility daily. She has great attendance and has never had any write ups in the Junior High. Millie does not let the behaviors of others eschew her positive attitude."
Reydon Lovejoy, Grade 9, voted for by Janet R Jackson. "When it said "humility", I thought of Reydon. He is gracious in interactions with student cohort. He is also able to act against peer pressure within this. He enacts a delicate balance in this."
Shia Peterson, Grade 10, voted for by Michael Anthony Polinag. "I would like to nominate Shia Peterson for this month’s Good Relative Award. Since then, Shia has shown utmost humility towards her teachers and classmates. She is polite, respectful and always willing to lend a hand when needed. As a high school student at Cheyenne- Eagle Butte High School, she is open to learn new information, shares them with classmates and peers and humbly asks when she has questions. She is a true living representation of a student who possesses Lakota values by heart."
Danah Diver, Grade 11, voted for by Kelly Shoemaker. "They do very well in my class and are also on the football team in which he was one of the states leading rushers and they are very cheerful and upbeat most of the time which in turn encourages other students around them. And he is almost always early to my class which is after lunch and historically has a lot of tardy students."
Tell Murray, Grade 12, voted for by Kim Edson. "Tell is always very respectful in his demeanor towards adults. If Tell has questions about things, he will politely ask if you have time to assist him and is always grateful for the assistance. His consistent display of gratitude and impeccable manners is commendable."
Other students who were nominated for showing the Lakota Value of HUMILITY are: Credrick Condon, Brenaya Iron Hawk, Alisa Eberhard, Gabriel Brown, Brooklynn Hamiliton, Madeline LeBeau, Kyle Lawrence, Reagan Bowman, Selena West, and Alison Eagle Staff.
Wopila tanka to School staff for your nominations and students for deserving them! Follow us to see the winners next month!
We had a great time at the SBEB Trunk or Treat last night! Thank you State Bank employees for putting it on and to all the community members that participated. Shout outs deserved go to Rae O’Leary and her kiddos, Joan Upell, and Jetta Pearman for all their hard work last night! We are so lucky to have an awesome CTC Board and great family friendly community events!
This month in partnership with our C-EB schools, 2nd-6th grade submitted spooky stories for the chance to win their class a pizza party! This was such a fun activity and we received some bone chilling stories from our UE students! We will be posting the stories later so be sure to follow us! Winning classes of the spooky stories were
2nd Grade: Ms. Moran
3rd Grade: Mrs. Ducheneaux
4th Grade: Mrs. Vrooman
5th Grade: Mr. Modesto
6th Grade: Mrs. LeBeau
Thank you to the C-EB Staff and students for participating!
We had some fun filled afternoons in October with C-EB Jr High and and Highschool student! They rocked the court in our Halloween/Red Ribbon Week Dodgeball tournament events!
We had an amazing time at the C-EB UE 2nd Annual Traditional Wacipi! We set up a craft booth with fun for all ages to create Christmas ornaments for our Keya Foundation Christmas Tree at the Capitol this year. Students made ornaments, and designed tipis for the tree with art work ranging from dancers, animals, hearts, and more. We have such a beautiful and talented community and now our Christmas tree will represent that!
Congratulations to our September Good Relative Award Winners! Septembers theme was the Lakota Value of CARING. Students were then chosen by grade from a hat for a winner. Please congratulate and tag family members of students listed below to share in the recognition of their caring student!
Winners from the drawing:
Hensley Red Bear, grade 2, voted for by Mrs. Webb. "Hensley goes above and beyond to help other students and teachers in the classroom. She is a good friend."
Kevin Elk Nation, grade 3, voted for by Mrs. Ducheneaux. "I have witnessed Kevin be curious and helpful to a student in their pod who has a broken arm by putting her chair up and down, carrying things as needed, and helping get her papers in correct order, etc. Outside of the classroom I see positive sportsmanship and the ability to include peers in activities. Kevin is always at VB games and are respectful to adults. He sits and watch the matches, often seeking a seat near me. Popcorn was spilled by someone at one of the games, and Kevin and his friend Rustee dashed out to the floor to pick up each piece so players or fans didn't slip. True leaders....I love them!"
Alexander Olson, grade 4, voted for by Mrs. Willison. "Helping students, cleaning the room, and is kind to all students."
Presley Lawrence, grade 5, voted for by Mrs. Whirlwind Horse. "Always very pleasant to students and staff alike, respectful and kind."
Liam Norris, grade 6, voted for by Mrs. Reeves. "Liam is an attentive student who works his hardest and is a leader in the classroom."
Tori Voice, grade 8, voted for by Mr. N. "She has volunteered to assist other students in class, while having a positive attitude towards others."
Payton Semon, grade 9, voted for by Ms. J. "Payton is caring, kind toward her sibling, Paria, and to other students as well."
Levi Elk Nation, grade 10, voted for by Mr. McCrea. "When finished with his work, Levi takes it upon himself to help other students in Finish Carpentry 1. He always has a smile on his face and a morning hello."
Evangelise Jewett, grade 11, voted for by Mr. Moreno. "She is very caring to both students and teachers. She is a good role model for decency and moral conduct for everybody around her."
Other students who were nominated for showing the Lakota Value of CARING are:
Opal Hoffman, Syn Bowker, Kyrie Newbrough, Sean, Breckyn Clown, Rustee McLane, Vina White Eagle, Mercedes Hollow, James Pritzkau, Nina LeBeau, Paria Semon, and Deliohn Anderson!
Thank you, school staff, for your nominations and students for deserving them! Follow us to see the winners next month!
C-EB 2nd-6th grade practiced positive self talk for our CTC monthly September Activity! Students were encouraged to think about themselves and qualities they have that they are proud of! Some qualities written where smart, kind, good listener, making their friends laugh, confident, creative, and strong!
We had an awesome time presenting to C-EB Freshman AVID class students this past Tuesday! Our board members did the Possible Selves Activity with students which included goal setting and critical thinking skill building. Students identified some big goals for themselves and then determined the steps to take to reach the goal, possible obstacles, and steps they can start doing now.
These students had BIG goals of becoming Authors, Nurses, Artists, Athletes, Rock Stars, World Travelers, Highschool and College graduates, Business women, and more!
Here are a few of our classroom pledges created by the students! The students had great ideas on how their class should act including being kind, bring role models, and having fun!
For the 2023 Labor Day Parade we partnered with the Canli Coalition of CRST. Our theme, “Vapes a sweet deception,” to promote the Canli Coalition Youth Tobacco Prevention Policy (pg. 2). We won first place in the Youth/Community Category. Thank you to all the volunteers that helped, and the community for the amazing turn out!
Congratulations to our door prize winners Pat, Kenton Keckler, and Brittany Brooks!! Thank you all for the support and love today at Art in the Park and to all the business and our great hosts for coming together to make the event happen. Our favorite thing about our community is when we demonstrate just how close and loving we all are. Have an amazing and safe weekend
Congratulations to our 2023 CTC Champion Winners!
These students were nominated and won because they represent the CTC vision. Winners were announced at graduation and awards ceremonies and received an amazon gift card, certificate and CTC t-shirt. We want to thank the schools for letting announce these winners and congratulate the students, school staff, and parents for an amazing job done this past year!
Cheyenne-Eagle Butte School
6th Grade: Justin Farlee
8th Grade: Tommi Chasing Hawk
12th Grade: Titakuye Kicopi Washburn
Windswept Academy School
6th Grade: Icesis Maynard
8th Grade: Emma Berndt
12th Grade: Roper Dennis
Congratulations to our 2023 CTC Spirit Award Winners!
CTC had the chance to participate in the K-1 grade Field Day. These students chosen had the MOST enthusiasm and we wanted to award them! Winners received a coloring book, certificate, CTC t-shirt, and some candy!
Ona Garreau Landon Titus
Eliza Janis Breighton Bartlett
Ira Briggs Molly Brown Wolf
Luna Roberts Chloe Runs After
Skyler Alberts Alacious Left Hand Bull
Rylin Walters Keya Lind
Cidan Addison Adalee Fulls
Cheyenne-Eagle Butte School students K-4th grade got a special visit from the CTC Easter Bunny! Candy and workbooks were handed out along with high fives and hugs! Thank you to the school and teachers for letting us visit the kids!
Thank you to Cheyenne-Eagle Butte School students, staff and Parents for letting us come in to record the students for radio PSA’s regarding mental health promotion, substance use prevention, and family bonding! The students did amazing and a BIG thank you KIPI Radio 935 producers Seth and Troy for giving these students the experience of being on the air! All students that were invited to participate received a certificate and $10 for the help! We hope to have these on the air starting in April and will be sharing with the school and adding to our website once they are done too!
Visit our Social Development Strategy tab to listen to the recordings!
We had a great time at the Windswept Academy giving out hot cocoa to students! Thank you Ms. McLeod and Ms. Shaw for working with us to come into the school to congratulate the students!
We had a great time with Missouri Breaks Industries Research Inc at the C-EB Career day! Thank you for allowing us to come and visit with the students! We love to see youth reaching for more and making moves for their future.
If you’re a teen and wanting to sign up, or a parent/guardian signing up your teen for the storytelling please fill out this form! We will be choosing those that participate based on the answers! https://forms.gle/eBpEpBXaMSwSEULo6
We had an awesome time handing out hot chocolate at the C-EB Upper Elementary this past Friday! Thank you to the staff and students that welcomed us into their day, and a big thank you to Mrs. Robyn Johnson for her taking us to the classrooms and helping hand out the hot cocoa to students and staff! Also, peep the super cool SEL art throughout the school, these were a couple of our favorites! We also want to thank the SBEB/landmark, Ubetcha Wateca, and C-EB UE school for letting us borrow their percolators. We wouldn't have been able to do it without them!
We had so much fun working with the school to put together the Lucky To Be Me Positive Messages campaign. We got to meet with CEB HS National Honors Society Students and 4 classes in the Jr High for their help on positive messages. CEB 2-6 and Windswept Academy all go to write their own messages too. Check out what these students are luck to have!
More fun was had at the C-EB Jr High as we got to give out Hot Chocolate to the students yesterday afternoon! Thank you administration and teachers for allowing us to come into the school, and for helping hand out cups!
Also shout out to State Bank of Eagle Butte, Ubetcha Wateca, Missouri Breaks, and Rita Carlson for letting us borrow their percolators/coolers so the students could have a nice warm cup of cocoa!
We had an amazing time attending the Wakpa Waste Tiospaye Parent Committee Family night event. Our Hot chocolate booth was a success and there were some pretty good looking cups made by the students. It’s always great to not only get to interact with the kids, but also to see families enjoying a night of wholesome fun together!
The Lakota Scavenger hunt along with all the different make and take booths were so successful. Thank you WWTPC for inviting us to be apart of this event, we can’t wait to see what is in the works for next month!
CTC attended the C-EB Jr High Family Night movie showing of Adams Family 2! We had a great time visiting with those that attended. We handed out Iktomi Meets the Giant books, resource cards, Halloween mochi toys, and of course CANDY! There was also some Red Ribbon Week (RRW) themed coloring pages, stress balls, and RRW resources that were handed out.
CTC was invited to participate in the Jr High Masquerade where we got to hear the reason for the Masquerade which is, "A long time ago when a person would become sick, or need to be on the red road, a child or relative would dance to dance the sickness away. By Masquerading you are dancing to bring positive back in their lives and to make the home be whole again." We also witnessed the round dance, potato dance with a ball, breakdance to the drum, "Action" Jackson Taken Alive's dance, snake dance, and rabbit dance. The event ended with a goodies giveaway! We want to give a BIG THANK YOU to C-EB school staff for inviting us, and for organizing such a good time for these kids to express themselves within their tradition and celebrate!
CTC partnered with the Canli Coalition of CRST and our theme of Tradition NOT Addiction won second place in the youth category this year in the 2022 Labor Day Parade. This theme is a modern day interpretation of the story Iktomi Meets the Giant, by Sidney Keith. The interpretation reads, "Today our communities and relatives have become swallowed by modern day giants, and many do not even know they have been swallowed. These modern-day giants are alcohol, drugs, commercial tobacco, violence, greed, and other negative social factors our communities and relatives face. Just like in the cultural story, we as a people, can defeat these giants through cultural practices and teachings of our way of life. We have always had the cure within our culture and now we must awaken it within ourselves to find a healthy balance." - Aaron David West Jr.
Supported & awarded summer school attendance for Summer 2021 by providing gift cards.
Supported the Weekend Water Days Summer 2021at the C-EB Track by providing food donations for the event.
Supported the Dakota Club Library by CTC Coalition member volunteering at the library's booth during art in the park Summer 2021.
Supported the Ballout Youth Basketball Tournament in May 2022. Over 40 youth participated in this event. CTC provided door prizes.
Offered free Mental Health First Aid training to C-EB Staff and local youth serving organizations.
Participated in the Eagle Butte City's Art In The Park 2022 event. CTC had Giant JENGA with affirmations and questions to say/ask your partner, a spin wheel for prizes, chalk art, and educational materials to hand out. We also held a raffle of buy a T-shirt and be entered to in a door prize!
Created & hosted CTC Champion Nominations for C-EB & Windswept Academy Students Grades 6th, 8th, and 12th. We asked parents, family, and students to nominate a student and explain how they portrayed the the CTC Vision Statement which is “Cheyenne River is a community where our youth are healthy, culturally grounded, confident in their identity, and equipped with the fundamental skills for success in life.” Almost 40 nominations were received! Winners were
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C-EB Sixth Grade - Hazen Moran
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C-EB Eight Grade - Dayson Kennedy
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C-EB Twelfth Grade - A'Dyn Moran
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Windswept Academy Eighth Grade - Tatumn Newbrough
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Windswept Academy Twelfth Grade - Naylon Marshall
Created C-EB and Windswept Academy Youth Recap Activity Sheet for grades 5-8 in January 2022. This activity sheet that asked them questions to encourage them to think on the year that has passed, and make goals for the year 2022. It also asked students what activities they enjoy doing with family, and friends, and how they can do something nice for a friend this year. Over 100 students from Eagle Butte schools participated. Winners were
C-EB Fifth Grade - Rowyn Bowman
C-EB Sixth Grade - Gabrielle Dupris
C-EB Seventh Grade - Mariah Lara
C-EB Eighth Grade - Angelique Red Dog
Windswept Academy Fifth Grade - Sabrianne Grindstone
Windswept Academy Seventh Grade - Jason LaPlante
Windswept Academy Eighth Grade - Ayden Uses Knife.
Created C-EB coloring contest for grades 4-6 in December 2021. This coloring contest invited students to think about how bonding with an adult made them feel, and challenged them to fill in the blank for the kind of community they dream about! 33 students participated. Winners from C-EB were
Fourth Grade - Emma Collins, Betti Lawrence, Caylor Rivers
Fifth Grade - Darian Eagle Staff
Sixth Grade - Ran’Dunn Bear Stops, Fanny Thompson
Attended the C-EB Halloween/Red Ribbon Week Family Night event Fall 2021. Community Outreach, education and candy was provided!
Participated in the Eagle Butte City's Art In The Park event. Community Outreach and education took place along with a raffle for CTC T-Shirts. We were able to engage in conversations with over 50 community members!
Supported the Ohitika Writers movement within C-EB Jr. High. It is a lot like Freedom Writers but with a twist! Student's pick a teacher they would like to share with and that teacher responds. If students are struggling, they find strategies and methods to help them cope. Otherwise, the students can share anything and everything they want the teachers to know. This allows for stronger relationships to be created!
