.entry-date::after {content: ” by Val Niehaus”;} June 1, 2017 – Full Issue On May 13, 2017, the Wisconsin Indian Education Association (WIEA) held its annual awards banquet at Lake of the Torches Resort Casino in Lac Du Flambeau, Wis. WIEA was established in 1985 by a group of concerned Indian educators to carry on the efforts of the former Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council (GLITC) Education sub-committee. The Association has seven different regions throughout the state. The region board members are responsible for hosting meetings in the region throughout the year to share and gather information for the board to either act upon or disseminate to all other WIEA members. (cited from WIEA website) The WIEA Outstanding Indian Education awards highlight individuals who have made a lasting impact on the educational opportunities of American Indians and Alaskan Natives living throughout Wisconsin. (cited from handout) FCP community members who received this award were: Outstanding American Indian Student of the Year 8th-10th grade, Eve Hawpetoss; Outstanding American Indian Student of the Year 11th-12th grade, Autry Johnson; Undergraduate Student of the Year, Alexis Harris; Outstanding Indian Educator of the Year, Thomas Boelter; Outstanding Indian Parents of the Year, James and Jennifer Crawford; Friend of Indian Edu- cation of the Year, Samantha Smith. The banquet was a nice touch to honor not only FCP students and faculty, but to also honor the strength in Indian Education and others around the state of Wisconsin. Brian Jackson, WIEA president, welcomed everyone in attendance and went on to speak about Act 31 and the importance of it in this state and area. An invocation was presented by Robert Elm and the Master of Ceremonies was Brandon Thoms. Thoms says, “We are all here for education and we are all champions in education, we are all friends and allies. Give yourself all a hand for being champions in education!” All of the FCP members who received these awards were very grateful for the honor. Thomas Boelter said, “I am deeply honored to accept the award for Outstanding Indian Educator of the Year. However, I accept this award giving thanks to our education staff for their hard work. I learned long ago it is not about ‘I’ or ‘me’. It is about ‘we’ and ‘us’. The most important thing at the end of the day is that we have made a tremendous difference for our youth and others have noticed. I would also like to thank our leadership for making education a priority for our membership. We could not do what we do without their support. Finally, a thank you goes out to WIEA for all of their efforts working to bring positive changes in education to Indian County.” At the end of the banquet there was special entertainment by Native comedian Tito Ybarra which left many in the room breathless with laughter. Overall the night went well and the participants of all the tribes present were very happy with the acknowledgment they received during the evening. It was a very nice event and both honored the Native students individually while also emphasizing the importance of education for the future of the students, their families, and the tribes.