Every year, the second Monday of Oct. is dedicated to the indigenous people of America. It celebrates the people who lived in present-day American land before European colonizers conquered it. The day is formerly known as Columbus Day, which was used to celebrate the first Europeans that came to the Americas and colonized. However, as modern generations become more conscious of the history of the United States, the focus has shifted. Today it’s meant to recognize the painful history Indigenous people have faced and to celebrate their communities. On this day, social studies teachers are required to include it in a lesson, so some put together small lessons or activities to inform and educate students about Indigenous Peoples’ Day. For other teachers, that’s not always the case.
Senior Sylvia Tolzin said her classes didn’t cover the topic at all. She said if her classes did participate, she would like something more than a typical presentation to keep people interested.
“My classes didn’t do anything,” Tolzin said. “If we did do something in class, I know a lot of students don’t pay attention to the typical slideshows that the school promotes, so I’m thinking of something other than a slideshow. I know videos can be more engaging than just a presentation.”
Junior Grant Haggerty said some classes did a good job acknowledging Indigenous Peoples’ Day, especially connecting it back to the rubric and the class itself.
“(My classes) did well incorporating it into our class and keeping it with the rubric,” Haggerty said. “Learning a ton about Indigenous people and really understanding the day better was beneficial.”
Math teacher Kari Taylor incorporated a lesson about a female Indigenous mathematician who’s a leader in her field. She said people who aren’t usually recognized get a spotlight on an important day to them and their culture. She said in the math world, the same faces are seen repeatedly.
“There are populations or groups of people in our population that are marginalized and need to be recognized more,” Taylor said. “So it’s important for students to have representation and to see themselves in the curriculum. I feel like a lot of times in math and the media, we see old white guys doing math. So we want to show that it’s not just old white guys doing math.”
Tolzin said it’s important to acknowledge the first people in America. She said a lot of their history has been lost or forgotten because of racism.
“It’s important to recognize that there were people in America who were here before Christopher Colombus, and definitely things have been erased about Indigenous people because of white supremacy,” Tolzin said.
Haggerty said the day holds importance because Park was built on Native American land that was taken.
“It’s pretty important because our school is on Native land, and it’s good for us to learn a little bit more about Indigenous people and to recognize and treat the day with respect,” Haggerty said.
Taylor said going forward, it’s important to recognize other cultural holidays to represent all students and show people there are no limits to appearances.
“Every month, there seems to be a theme, and it’s important to highlight different people whenever we can highlight,” Taylor said. “So students know that there are people who look like them that are out there doing different things that defeat stereotypes.”
Tolzin said adding Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a federal holiday, just like Columbus Day, would benefit America. She said people today should stop and think about how today’s societal issues connect to them.
“It’s important for Indigenous people’s days to be recognized, especially in America,” Tolzin said. “I hope that we should just take a little bit of time to pause and reflect about our society today and how it connects to ourselves.”
