Wadookodaading Welcomes New School Year with New Leadership

Submitted by Brooke Ammann

Wadookodaading School

One of the original founders of Waadookodaading, Keller Paap, long time Ojibwe immersion classroom teacher, has taken over the role as Executive Director of the organization. He replaces Brooke Mosay Ammann, who has been in the position since September of 2010. Ammann, who is also in her second year of doctoral studies, will take on the new role of Director of Institutional Development. The change comes as part of an overall organizational transition that includes expansion of activities into immersion teacher and curriculum development, language acquisition research and development, and community and international indigenous outreach.

Other shifts in organizational roles include the movement of another of Waadookodaading’s founders, Lisa LaRonge, from the classroom and into management of special projects currently being managed by the Institute. These projects include the Nisawi-gikinoo’amaading Middle Level Ojibwe Immersion Grant and the Nandagikenjiganashk Project, both funded by the United States Government Department of Education. The goal of Nisawi-gikinoo’amaading is to expand the Ojibwe language immersion offerings into the middle school grades. The Nandagikenjiganashk Project is designed increase the number of highly qualified native educators capable of developing the cultural and scientific skills of the future tribal workforce and placing them in schools with high Ojibwe student populations.

Dustin Burnette also adds to his role as Ojibwe immersion teacher and teacher trainer by assuming the role of School Operations Manager. His additional duties include student behavior management, teacher scheduling and evaluation, curriculum development and lesson plan review, Individual Education Plan (IEP) management, and other instructional development initiatives.

Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School Waadookodaading begins the 2019-2020 school year with seventy-three (73) students, including the inaugural class of eighth grade students. Students receive academic instruction through the medium of the Ojibwe language, and begin taking English Language Arts as a course in the fourth grade.

Wadookodaading School teachers on the first day of school

Keller Paap, Wadookodaading School Director