The Oklahoma Indian Student Honor Society inducted the following Heavener High School students into their honor roll: (Front) Barbara Johnson, Bethany Cook, Makenzie Wilson, Makaylee Wilson, Lily Friedl, (Middle) Emaline Wiles, Sydney Crase, Shaylie Sanders, Faith Clark, Cheyanne Cranfield, Emily Yandell, (Back) Devon Mathews, Lakota Vickers, Malory Lynch, Gunner Sanders, Dawson Adrean.
Many Choctaw high school students join ranks of honor society with help of MAD
By Brandon Frye
Choctaw Nation
Durant, Okla. - The Making a Difference (MAD) program of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma helped raise the number of Native high school honor society students in the state by 115 for the 2014-2015 school year.
The Oklahoma Council for Indian Education sponsors the Oklahoma Indian Student Honor Society, of which there are now many more Choctaw members. The organization advocates within Oklahoma for Native students and teaches effective educational strategies addressing the unique cultural and academic needs they possess.
According to Lori Wells, Director of MAD, the program mailed out applications to all 9-12 grade Choctaw students, many found they qualified for the Oklahoma Indian Student Honor Society, and many mailed the application back.
The number of awardees jumped from 73 to 188 Choctaw honors students in Oklahoma, and five to 30 within the 10.5 counties of the Choctaw Nation.
These Choctaws and members of other tribes were invited to a banquet in Edmond at the University of Central Oklahoma, an event meant to acknowledge the success of the young Native students.
“I got an envelope in the mail from Making a Difference and it came with three scholarships along with a form to fill out for the Indian Honor Society,” Malacha Austin, graduating senior at Talihina High School said. “I filled them all out and received one back saying congratulations and that I was inducted into the Oklahoma Indian Student Honor Society.”
Austin said she received A’s and B’s throughout her high school career and finished with a GPA of 4.2, above the requirement of 3.9 for the honor society.
Among the high schools within the Choctaw Nation, Heavener High School saw the most growth. Heavener had no awardees in the previous year, but after receiving letters from MAD rose to 15 honors students.
Earning a spot on the honor society will help students with their future plans, according to Wells, because of how good the membership will look on college entrance applications and work resumes.