Note: This story originally aired on June 21, 2019.
Starting in July, the non-profit arm of the Rosebud Economic Development Corporation will develop a new school with the help of a national fellowship program. The NACA-Inspired Schools Network fellow will help design curriculum and launch the school over a two-year period.
Wizipan Little Elk is the CEO of REDCO. He says the school will focus on Lakota language, culture, and educational rigor.
“It’s all gonna be dependent on resources, but come hell or high water in 2021 we’re gonna have a school. And if we have to start with 10 kindergarteners, so be it,” he explains.
Little Elk says the new school is part of an education initiative from REDCO’s sister organization, Sicangu CDC. The non-profit launched earlier this year, and focuses on education, housing, healthcare, and food sovereignty on the Rosebud Reservation.
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