Highlighting Native American History

Native American Heritage Month is observed each November, but our education surrounding Indigenous communities extends beyond just one month—in several of our classes, students learn about Native American voices and experiences throughout the school year.

In Wes Ballantyne’s Upper School Colorado Humans and the Environment class, Native American voices are embedded into the curriculum—from examining Ute creation stories to studying recreation and tourism in Colorado and meeting with a Lakota filmmaker to discuss what it means to recreate on stolen land. His 6th grade history class is also in a unit studying PaleoIndians, Ancestral Puebloans and Ute culture and history.

In our English courses, AP English Literature students read “There, There,” a debut novel by Cheyenne and Arapaho author Tommy Orange. Looking ahead, English 9 classes will soon be starting a unit on Native American literature, focused on storytelling and the relationship between the past and the present for Indigenous people.

During Kent Denver’s Professional Development Day in October, several employees attended a session that explored the critical role Indigenous community centers and other local resources play in fostering vibrant urban environments. The session was led by Donna Chrisjohn, a member of the Sicangu Lakota and Dine tribal nations, who discussed the benefits of collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations and how these resources can address systemic challenges while promoting equitable access to opportunities for urban Indigenous residents.

Throughout the month of November, we highlighted Native American Heritage Month with informative slides displayed on the screens around campus that included facts about Native American history in Colorado, profiles on notable past and present Native American figures and examples of books and music from Native American authors and musicians. Dining hall staff also served a meal of wild rice and sausage- or mushroom-stuffed acorn squash featuring squash, wild rice and cranberries—ingredients that are all indigenous to North America and have been eaten on the continent for centuries. There was also a poster on display in the dining hall featuring the impact of Native peoples on the foods and flavors we know today.

Kent Denver has also made an effort to understand the history of the land our campus occupies. Through research by Dr. Lucas Carmichael, we have learned that the Cherry Hills Village area was the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho nations until gold was found in 1858. As an academic institution, we commit to learning more about the rich histories and contributions of Ute, Cheyenne and Arapaho people by incorporating Indigenous voices into our curriculum and creating opportunities for further exploration of indigeneity.