I am Nuu-chah-nulth FN, Ahousat Band. I started my career as the Title Vll Coordinator in the Edmonds School District #15 for six years and then taught 5th grade for my practicum. Working for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe at the Muckleshoot Tribal School, I taught 4th grade for four years. Here, I was on the Leadership Team, Accreditation Team, PLC Leadership Team, and Culture and Language Leadership Team and was an Instructional Team Leader for grades 3-5, Since Time Immemorial Tribal Sovereignty Curriculum Trainer, and Middle School Co-ed Soccer Team Coach. I also worked at the Muckleshoot Tribal College as the Muckleshoot Occupational Skills Training (MOST) Instructor. I participate in Tribal Journeys and travel with my canoe family on Vancouver Island, BC. To reach me, please email me at gtmorris@seattleschools.org or call 206-252-0948.

I am proud to be a part of the Native American Education team at SPS. Not only do I descend primarily from the three tribes above, I am also descended from the Squaxin, Snoqualmie, and Stillaguamish tribes. I was born and raised on the Yakama Nation reservation, and I recently discovered from my Muckleshoot and Puyallup relatives that both my maternal grandparents descend from the House of tciaƚtsa. I am even prouder to be their granddaughter.

I finished my 30th year as a classroom teacher Spring, 2021. Writing curriculum that reflects my tribes, my culture, and my family has always been my passion. I began my journey in early 2005, writing curriculum for the Washington State Historical Society and continued into 2007 as the principal writer for Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State. I still am one of the principal writers, but with a much larger writing team these days! Some of my projects include curriculum for the State of Oregon, the University of Montana’s Regional Learning Project (Now a part of the STI curriculum), the National Park Service (Honoring Tribal Legacies) and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (Why Do the Foods We Eat Matter? and The Fish Wars). I also contributed a chapter to Narrowing the Achievement Gap for Native American Students.

Please feel free to reach out to me at  balkanfoster@seattleschools.org if your student attends Denny or Chief Sealth. I am humbled to work in partnership with families and provide advocacy in a variety of forms whether it is navigating the school system, attending IEP meetings or just being a person in the building who, “gets your student’s back.” All Native students may take my class, focusing on identity safety and academic achievement. Students enrolled in šəqačib earn elective credit towards high school graduation.

Although I have been an educator in Seattle Schools for a quarter century, I was recruited for the šəqačib position in 2015. šəqačib is a Southern Lushootseed word meaning, “raising of hands.” My thanks to the Muckleshoot language department for this beautiful name. I decided when I began this work to use the name as a metaphor to guide my work and what I do to support students. Everything is done for/with students to “lift them up.” It is an honor to support students and lift them towards their goals and dreams as they claim their rightful places as leaders.

I attended the University of Washington and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. While at UW, I was an athlete on the Women’s Varsity Crew Team. I also attended Seattle Pacific University and graduated with a Master of Arts in Teaching. I hold Washington State Teaching Endorsements in English, Visual Arts, Language Arts and Special Education. I believe in the transformative power of education and believe quality teaching is an art and an act of love. When I am not teaching, I enjoy time with my spouse and our two children.

Hello, my name is Khemarak Pom, known on campus as Mr. Kam. I am the Instructional Assistant in šəqačib at Chief Sealth International High School alongside Boo Balkan Foster.

My job is to help students navigate the rigors of school. The goal is to give academic support for Native youth. I assist in core subjects with emphasis on science and math.

I grew up in the Southwest Seattle neighborhood and it’s been a pleasure to go back to my roots at Sealth.

I’m an avid Seahawks fan and seriously wish the NBA comes back to Seattle.

Hau Mitakuyepi,

My name is Levi Harter and I’m a first year teacher and a citizen of the Oglala Lakota
Oyate. I grew up in small town rural Illinois just north of St. Louis and after high
school began my collegiate journey at Lewis and Clark Community College. After obtaining my Associates degree I traveled around the country until I caught wind of the Water Protection occupation at Standing Rock, commonly known as the #NODAPL protests. I spent just under five months, through the winter, at the encampment which empowered and politicized me with the vigor and fervor of true Indigenous Resistance to colonialism.

I received my Masters in Teaching from The Evergreen College in the Spring of 2022, with an endorsement in the area of secondary social studies. While at TESC I also earned my Bachelors within the Native Pathways Program, an upper level undergraduate program that emphasizes and promotes Indigeneity and critical analysis of the western framework.  Our motto was “we’re not here to study Indians, Indians are here to study.”  

As a new teacher I couldn’t be more excited to be serving our Native youth, this program and opportunity is more than I could’ve expected and am excited to bring my own Indigenized interpretation of a liberatory pedagogy to our bright young next generation. I hope to pass on the empowerment and strength that was imbued in me by many brilliant Native scholars, artists, activists, culture keepers, organizers and caretakers. Alongside a powerhouse of strong Native women already present within the Native Education department, I’m looking forward to utilizing each other’s strengths to protect and uplift our precious urban Indian Youth.

Hi, my name is Pilar Sandoval-Moberg!   I am the library assistant at the American Indian Resource Library. I was born and raised in Connecticut. For college I attended the University of California, San Diego. After graduating I remained in California working at a public library until moving to Seattle for graduate school. I am currently a second-year student at the University of Washington in the Master of Library and Information Science program. I have a pet cat named Charlie who is a bit of a menace but makes up for it by being very cute. In my free time, I enjoy crafting and baking.

Coming soon

My Name is Kurstyn. I have a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work. I have worked in the social services field all of my career.  I chose social services as a career, to educate people and let them know that with knowledge and behavior change, you can be the product of your efforts in life and not the product of where you have been.  I love sports, especially football and baseball.  In my free time, I enjoy traveling and being with my family.  I love to laugh and read.  I love summer weather and nature walks.  I have a 1-year-old Shitzu named Chachi. 

My name is Nicole, and I am a certified teacher working at Nathan Hale and Jane Addams alongside Mr. Harter in the seqacib classroom. I am Inupiaq and Yupik; my family comes from the little island of Diomede up in the Northern part of Alaska, though we’ve spread out to Nome, Tanana, Fairbanks, and here! I’ve lived in Seattle my entire life, though I’ve enjoyed traveling up to visit.

I received my Master’s from Seattle Pacific University and double majored for a Bachelor’s at the University of Washington, where I studied History and English. I participated in the undergraduate symposium, focusing on a project that traced the politics of the development of Ethnic Studies in college and high schools as well as the development of American Indian Studies in college and high schools. I have volunteered and done student teaching throughout Seattle Public Schools, and have worked teaching History, English, and related subjects at Muckleshoot Tribal School and in multiple private schools throughout the area, with a focus on the development and impacts of settler-colonialism alongside the resistance and celebration of Indigenous voices.

I am excited to work in Native American Education, as it allows a specific focus on building up Native students to connect with their history and culture to feel empowered in the world we live in today.

Wa’tkwanonhwerá:ton, Karonhí:io Delaronde iónkiats.

Greetings to you, my name is Karonhí:io Delaronde. I am Mohawk with close roots to the Mi’kmaq (distantly to the Anishinaabe, Nipissing, French, and Irish), turtle clan, and from Kanièn:ke (Ganienkeh).

I am honored to be a speaker of our language Kanien’kéha (Mohawk) through the help and encouragement of many from-the-heart elders and second-language speakers. I have been a part of the revitalization of our language for over 20 years, which includes co-creating language learning curricula, creating multimedia content, contributing language knowledge to books and articles, translating for TV shows, documentaries, and documents, teaching adult classes in-person and online, and serving my community as a k-12 language teacher for 12 years. My heart is with our language being present and thriving in today’s world and for the seven generations to come.

Along with my passion for my language, I am also real big in geography. Through this, I had the opportunity in 2014-2015 to partner with Decolonial Atlas to contribute our own names to various cities, towns, rivers, lakes, and mountains in our traditional territory. I believe it is important for Indigenous peoples to have a map that is expressed through their language, through their own lenses, knowledge, and histories. Visit the Decolonial Atlas website.

I am an Instructional Assistant in the Native Ed department of Seattle Public Schools. With experiencing my own challenges being unsupported in the public school system in many ways, I ended up devaluing education in a public school setting for many years after. It took years of struggle, self-work, and discovery to actually see and appreciate the value of education. How it doesn’t have to be tied together with trauma, how it can be used towards your betterment as opposed to your detriment, and how it introduces new ideas, enhances current ones, and alters and/or replaces old ones in any area of learning you wish to pursue. As such, I am honored to have the opportunity to support today’s youth in navigating through their own academic journey by providing a safe space and by being someone who can relate to their own experiences.

Please reach out if you have any questions at brdelaronde@seattleschools.org

Skén:nen kénhak / Peace be