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December 24, 2008

Locals make Parents of the Year

Patty Miller

EDMOND — Brent and Kennetha Greenwood, Edmond residents for the past 13 years, recently were honored as Indian Parents of the Year by the Oklahoma Council for Indian Education (OCIE).

They are active supporters of the Indian Education program in the Edmond school district and involve their children in educational and cultural activities whenever possible.

“Brent and Kennetha Greenwood are providing a diverse learning environment for their children,” said Lynn Danvers, Edmond Public Schools Indian Education secretary. “They are instilling in them a respect for their cultural heritage while preparing them to participate in today’s world.”

Culturally, the children are being taught about their tribe’s languages and traditions, their instruments and music, their dancing and their arts.

The children participate in Pow Wow dancing, hand drumming, singing, sculpting, painting and Handgame competition, where the children are consistently near the top in their events.

Me-Way-Seh plays in the school orchestra and is learning to create his own music on the viola.

“He has learned to play the Native Indian flute creatively and beautifully on his own at a very young age,” said Grace Wiley Smith, Edmond Indian educator.

“Reina is in her own creative world of powwow dancing as well as classical dancing.”

Both parents are artists and both belong to OklaDADA (a group of Oklahoma Native Artists), Northside Native American Methodist Church and Oklahoma City University Native American Ministry, where they provide meals and interact with the Indian students once a month.

“As artists, Brent and Kennetha are teaching their children contemporary as well as traditional means of expression,” Danvers said.

“The children are further being given opportunities to participate in activities in each of these areas, frequently in competition with other Native American children,” she said.

Academically, the Greenwoods work with their children and use tutoring services when the need arises.

“They encourage the children to participate in activities that provide positive images of Native Americans to others in their school district as well as others in the community,” Danvers said.

Kennetha is an enrolled member of the Otoe Missouria Tribe and Brent is of Ponca and Chickasaw descent and is a Pow Wow singer. He is a graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) and Oklahoma City University.

Each year the Greenwoods participate in the Johnson O’Malley Summer program offered by the Edmond School District. They also have involved their children in the Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair and are teaching their children the Otoe language. In addition, both parents serve on the Parent Committee.

“They are involved in keeping their heritage alive through their children as well as for themselves,” Smith said.

Kennetha has published a Native American coloring book and has narrated an Oklahoma History Center DVD related to her family’s contribution of the originals of historically significant documents presented to one of her ancestors by Lewis and Clark.

“Brent and Kennetha benefit from a strong support system within their extended family, have great respect for their family and tribes and possess exemplary character traits as individuals,” said Sydna Yellowfish, Edmond Public Schools Title VII educator.

“They are committed to preserving their heritage through their children, their work and their community involvement,” Yellowfish said.

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