Quileute Tribal School

Quileute Tribal School
Location
La Push, Washington
Coordinates	47°54′30″N 124°38′17″W
Information
Type	K-12 school
Established	1979
NCES School ID	590012700127[1]
Gender	co-ed
Age range	5-18
Mascot	Wolves

Quileute Tribal School (QTS) is a Quileute, Native American school located in La Push, Washington. It is a K-12 school, serving students in grades kindergarten – 12. QTS is affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).^[2] It has a compact with the state of Washington and receives a grant from the BIE.^[3]

The school is accredited by AdvancED.^[4]

The school was founded in 1979.^[5]

There were ten elderly speakers of the Quileute language in 1977,^[6] and "a few" in 1999. The Quileute Nation is attempting to prevent the loss of the Quileute language by teaching it to students in the Quileute Tribal School, using books written for the students by the tribal elders. The Quileute Tribal School is the most common way that Quileutes spread their language that (as of 1992) only 3 people, two in their 80s, speak fluently.^[7]

History of Formal Education in La Push

The first school opened in 1883 by schoolmaster A.W. Smith. ^[8] Classes were held in a building rented from Dan Pullen. Some families were apprehensive and moved upriver to protect their children. After the fire of 1889, Pullen was angry with Smith for not supporting his homestead application and refused to continue renting the building. By 1904, a new school was built. The school closed in the late 1930's. From the 1930's to the 1970's, children were bused to the Quillayute Prairie School. In 1974, a new tribal school was constructed amid concerns of racism in Forks. ^[9] Construction of a new school outside of the tsunami zone was completed in 2022. ^[10]

Move to higher ground

The school building was constructed in 1992, on low ground, close to the Pacific Ocean. This proximity to the ocean made the school vulnerable to storm surges as well as tsunami events. In 2012, Barack Obama signed legislation that increased the size of the Quileute Indian Reservation by 785 acres, including a tract on ground higher than the rest of the village. The Quileute Tribe decided to construct a new school on the higher ground. In 2016, the Bureau of Indian Affairs selected the school for replacement through the No Child Left Behind Act. The tribe received a $44.1 million grant from the Bureau to relocate the school in 2018.^[11] Timber was harvested from the site and sold for some additional funding. Construction was estimated to cost around $500 per square foot for the new facilities.^[12] On 2 July 2020, ground was broken on construction of the new school. The new facilities are in a location safe from tsunami risk, and were designed to accommodate 175 students.^[13] Construction was completed in 2022.

See also

• Quillayute Valley School District - The area school district

References

1. "Search for Public Schools - Quileute Tribal School (590012700127)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
2. "Quileute Tribal School". Bureau of Indian Education. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
3. "Types of Tribal Schools". Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
4. Institution Summary, AdvancED, Retrieved 2012-07-10
5. Nee-Benham, Maenette K. P.; Cooper, Joanne E. (2000). Indigenous Educational Models for Contemporary Practice. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. p. 169-170. ISBN 1-4106-0542-6.
6. "Quileute". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
7. "Indian Elders Save Dying Language Only Three People Still Are Fluent in Quileute". The Rocky Mountain News. E. W. Scripps Company. 1992-05-31. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
8. [1] page 6
9. [2] page 7
10. [3]
11. Ollikainen, Rob (2018-10-12). "Quileute Tribe gets $44.1 million to build school on higher ground". Peninsula Daily News. La Push. Archived from the original on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
12. Ollikainen, Rob (2018-11-18). "Higher ground for Quileute Tribal School in La Push". Peninsula Daily News. La Push. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
13. Ollikainen, Rob (2020-07-09). "Quileute Tribe begins building new school". Peninsula Daily News. La Push. Archived from the original on 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2021-04-21.

External links

• Quileute Tribal School website