WCSD Selected to Receive $3.7 Million Grant to
Support Native American Students
Reno, NV. (November 15, 2022) – The Washoe County School District (WCSD) was recently awarded grant funding totaling $3,772,500 by the Office of Indian Education, U.S. Department of Education to support local Native American students as they prepare for college and careers. The funding will help provide mentoring programs and college tours for Native American students in grades six through 12. The Native Youth Community Project Grant funding will be spread over five years.
“All of us who work in the WCSD Native American Culture & Education Program are excited and proud to receive this grant that will provide tremendous support to our students,” said Fawn Hunter, MPA, Indian Education Program Specialist for WCSD Family-School Partnerships. “We are eager to provide more resources and tools for our Native American students to pursue their dreams of college and careers. This grant funding will allow us to expand our program and provide that vital support. We have created six positions on our staff to support our students in their educational endeavors, and we cannot wait to expand our services for these deserving students.”
The Native Youth Community Project Grant funding will support and facilitate evidence-based professional learning opportunities and ensure local Native American students are prepared for college and career. The immediate goals of the funding are to:
• implement a successful Native Youth Community Project that promotes and prepares Native American students for college and careers, with an emphasis on careers in the teaching profession
• increase student academic performance by including opportunities in the local community to support Native American students, and
• increase Native American student motivation and readiness to attend college or vocational training
“With this funding, we will be able provide mentoring for our students in students in 6th through 12th grades, taking them on college tours to UNR, UNLV and tribal colleges, engage them in college courses at Truckee Meadows Community College while they are still attending high school and connect with local elders within our community,” said Chairwoman Janet Davis of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. “In addition, we will connect our Native American students with the Dean’s Future Scholars (DFS) program at UNR. This funding will help Native American students learn about the opportunities they have to achieve their goals and will make a life-changing difference for them.”
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