Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Oct. 10, 2016

The City of Denver designated the second Monday of October each year as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Spearheaded by Councilman Paul Lopez, Denver City Council unanimously passed the resolution on Monday, Oct. 3, and the bill was signed by Mayor Michael B. Hancock on Tuesday, Oct. 4. Denver Public Schools (DPS) will receive an official proclamation that will be presented by American Indian students to the DPS Board of Education on Thursday, Oct. 20.

To ensure American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students have access to an equitable education, DPS provides culturally-responsive supports to students through the Native American Student Support Program (NASSP). NASSP supports more than 1,000 AI students in the following areas:

Mentoring
School programs
Advocacy for students
Sponsorship of student organizations
Promotion of activities and cultural events
Lakota language courses offered at two high schools

NASSP also offers parent engagement support and resources for DPS educators to support these students.To learn more about the NASSP in DPS, visit indianeducation.dpsk12.org.