May 15, 2025

Media Contacts:
N. Lynn Palmanteer-Holder, Summer Teaching Institute Co-Chair, 509-322-7718, balcstar.llc@hotmail.com
Cal Goolsby, Dean of Wenatchee Valley College Omak, Summer Teaching Institute Co-Chair, 509-422-7805, cgoolsby@wvc.edu
Tammy James, Employment & Education Director, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, 509-634-2777, tammy.james.adm@colvilletribes.com
Marcine Miller, Executive Director, Public Information Office, 509-682-6582, mmiller2@wvc.edu

Wenatchee Valley College Omak, in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Paschal Sherman Indian School, the Omak School District, and other education organizations, will host the 2025 Washington State Indian Education Summer Teaching Institute, tmixw, or “In this place, we are all related,” on June 24, 25, and 26 in Omak.

tmixw will be grounded in Indigenous theory, where educators will share and learn best cultural-responsive practices and policies alongside Washington state tribes, Indigenous scholars, elders, and First Peoples.

The Summer Teaching Institute will feature Dr. Jeannette Armstrong, Henry Strom, Maya Esquivido-Strom, and other educators as keynote speakers.

Dr. Jeannette Armstrong is Syilx Okanagan, a fluent speaker and teacher of the Nsyilxcn Okanagan language, and a traditional knowledge keeper of the Okanagan Nation. She is a founder of En’owkin, an Indigenous cultural, educational, ecological, and creative arts organization that is located on the Penticton Indian Band reserve. With a Ph.D. in Environmental Ethics and Syilx Indigenous Literatures, Armstrong is an associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Okanagan Philosophy at the University of British

Columbia Okanagan. She also currently serves on Canada’s Traditional Knowledge Subcommittee of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

Henry Strom is a proud member of the Yakama Nation and a descendant of the Quinault and Nez Perce Tribes. He is the assistant superintendent of the Office of Native Education (ONE) at the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). A dedicated educator, Strom has served students as superintendent of the Grandview School District and Mt. Adams School District, an elementary teacher, special education director, elementary and secondary principal, and central office administrator for over 30 years. Strom received his superintendent certification from Seattle Pacific University, his master’s degree from City University, and his principal certification and bachelor’s degree from Central Washington University.

Maya Esquivido-Strom is an enrolled member of the Nor Rel Muk Wintu Nation and a Hupa descendant with spousal ties to the Quinault Indian Nation and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. She has a Bachelor’s in American Indian Studies, a Master of Social Work, and a Graduate Certificate in American Indian and Indigenous Studies (AIIS). Esquivido-Strom is the interim director of tribal government affairs at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), and her work focuses on supporting the success of Native students by designing intentional pathways and fostering relational accountability through her work with Washington state’s 34 community and technical colleges and the 29 federally recognized Tribes.

Speakers at tmixw will give presentations and hands-on workshops. Some of the topics planned for the teaching institute will focus on Indigenous history, culture, governance, and language through place-based learning; bringing Tribal history and knowledge into curriculum; the history of Celilo Falls; using beading, weaving, and other activities to teach math, science, and history; using filmmaking to share Indigenous stories and perspectives; viewing work from American Indian, First Nations, and Indigenous artists and influencers to share contemporary culture; Indigenizing education through multigenerational learning; building capacity within Tribal schools and education systems to empower educators and administrators; strategies to enhance Indigenous visibility and belonging in higher education; the Wenatchee River Institute’s experience bringing Indigenous voices into outdoor learning; and the introduction of the Native Student Success pathway in natural sciences.

Summer Teaching Institute presenters are nurses; educators at high schools, colleges, universities, and independent education organizations; artists; founders of educational and environmental organizations; Tribal liaisons and Tribal Government Affairs staff members. These organizations include University of Washington Tacoma’s School of Education, Northwest Indian College, Columbia Basin College, WA State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, the

Colville Confederated Tribes, Braided Education Consulting, Paschal Sherman Indian School, and many more.

The presenters come from Oregon and Washington state, and include descendants of the Lummi, the Nor Rel Muk Wintu Nation, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Omushkeg Cree-Métis, Anishinabek Ojibway, Cowlitz, Steilacoom, the Navajo Nation, Nisqually, and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

“We are honored to welcome educators from across Washington state to our homelands for the Summer Teaching Institute. tmixw — ‘In this place, we are all related’ — speaks to the responsibilities we share in shaping the future through education.” Colville Business Council Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson shared, “This gathering is more than an event; it is a commitment to deepening our understanding of Indigenous knowledge systems, and to ensuring that what is taught in classrooms truly reflects the voices and histories of the First Peoples of this land. Tribe-specific curriculum development is essential to this work — it honors the sovereignty of each Nation, affirms our unique cultural identities, and provides all students with a more accurate, respectful, and meaningful education. We encourage educators to join us as we strengthen these pathways of learning, respect, and relationship.”

“The Summer Teaching Institute is a powerful testament to the commitment educators have to centering John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial curriculum in Washington state and beyond,” Wenatchee Valley College President Faimous Harrison said. “tmixw — ‘In this place, we are all related’ marks the return of this forum for the first time since 2016 and will positively impact generations of students from PreK-12 all the way through post-secondary education. We invite you to join us in the transformative work of centering Indigenous theory and culturally responsive practices and policies in the classroom and in our communities.”

The 2025 Indian Education Summer Teaching Institute reflects the partnership of: Wenatchee Valley College Omak, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Omak School District, Paschal Sherman Indian School, OSPI Office of Native Education, and the North Central Educational Service District.

Registration for the Summer Teaching Institute is $250 and includes workshops, keynote presentations, a cultural dinner, a movie night on the intergenerational trauma of boarding schools, professional development CEUs for teachers and administrators, and a continental breakfast and lunch each day of the forum.

To learn more about the 2025 Indian Education Summer Teaching Institute, visit www.wvc.edu/summerteachinginstitute.

 

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Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving

educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion for all students and employees and provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Visit our website, wvc.edu.

Wenatchee Valley College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in employment and student enrollment. All programs are free from discrimination and harassment against any person because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, parental status or families with children, marital status, religion, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status or any other prohibited basis per RCW 49.60.030, 040 and other federal and state laws and regulations, or participation in the complaint process.

The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and Title IX compliance for both the Wenatchee and Omak campuses:

To report discrimination or harassment: Title IX Coordinator, Human Resources, Wenatchi Hall 2322M, (509) 682-6445, title9@wvc.edu.

To request disability accommodations: Student Access Manager, Wenatchi Hall 2131, (509) 682-6854, TTY/TTD: dial 711, sas@wvc.edu.