PISD Students Community Involvement

Throughout the last month, students in Mr. Ramos’ 10th grade world history classes and Ms. Madrid’s 6th grade history classes helped make ribbon invitations for the upcoming blessing ceremony and celebration at Cementerio del Barrio de los Lipanes.

Each ribbon symbolizes the Indigenous Peoples of La Junta and the four colors of the sunset—red-orange, yellow, white, and sky blue. It is said that when native peoples were prisoners of war in Oklahoma the elders would look west and remember that their homeland was where the sun set.

An assembly line formed with some students cutting ribbons and others punching holes in the invitation cards. Another group took the ribbons and attached them to the cards using large safety pins. Everyone pitched in and at the end of the activity they had put together thousands of invitations to be given to every student, teacher, administrator and staff member at Presidio ISD plus extras for the community.

We are grateful to the hundreds of students who participated to create these invitations and learn more about the region's history.

Thank you to history teachers Javier Ramos and Carissa Madrid; school administrators Belinda Dolino, Alonso Hernandez, Taro Gutierrez and Ivrin Olivas; and PISD superintendent Carmen Rubner.

Roberto Lujan—from the Big Bend Conservation Alliance board of directors—along with Christina Hernandez and Dr. Nakaya Flotte—from Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas and People of La Junta for Preservation—helped envision the ribbon invitations and this program for the schools.