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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2006
PRESIDENT THOMAS SPEAKS TO FUTURE NATIVE LEADERS
 Mr.
Joe Nelson, Project Manager of the Preparing Indigenous Teachers
and Administrators for Alaska Schools (PITAAS) program, invited
Tlingit Haida Central Council President, Edward Thomas, to speak
to PITAAS students last week at the University of Alaska Southeast
campus. The PITAAS program is made up of approximately 35 Native
students from Alaska who have committed themselves to becoming teachers
and/or school administrators in Alaska.
The PITAAS program provides students with a full scholarship that
will lead to a college degree and course studies that will prepare
them to become teachers. The program requires them to participate
in a “Foundations in Alaska Native Leadership” unit where
they will not only discuss issues important to the Alaska Native
community, but hear from leaders of Alaska Native organizations
as well as cultural leaders. Shirley Walkush, Juneau Native teacher;
Angie Lunda, Native Principal at Gastineau Elementary School; Barbara
Cadiente-Nelson, MAT graduate; Dr. Walter Soboleff; Senator Albert
Kookesh; and David Katzeek are a few other Natives who have spoken
to the PITAAS program students these past couple of years.
President Thomas began his remarks by reviewing the history of
the Tlingit and Haida people in the Southeast Alaska region. “It
is surprising that so many of our young people have not had the
opportunity to hear of and discuss in a classroom setting the traditional
and contemporary history of our people,” he said.
President Thomas continues to tell every group of students (and
parents) that he speaks to that “dropping out is not an option
for our people!” Native students need to hear as often and
as frequently as possible that education has always been important
to the Tlingit and Haida people.
This group of students will need to work hard at staying focused
because there are many more distractions for them than there were
during past generations of students. One important factor on their
side is that today’s students are generally better equipped
for higher education when they come out of high school than many
of us were.
We have outstanding Native students that we should be proud of
and we need to continue to encourage them to succeed and lead us
into the future.
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Media Contact:
Jodi Wolf – CCTHITA Publications
9097 Glacier Highway, Ste. 206
Juneau, AK 99801
Tel. 907/463-7123
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