Each year the Tulalip Education Division honors students at the Annual Graduation Banquet. This year, we did not get the normal banquet and opportunity to honor all of our seniors who worked so hard to finish the last of their high school career during a pandemic.
At the end each school year we give an opportunity for students to apply for Tulalip Senior Boy & Girl of the Year and also just recently, the Indian Education Parent Committee Student of the Year. With delays and organizing during a pandemic, we are happy to close the year out with the official winner’s announcement.
2020 Tulalip Senior Girl of the Year: Chelsea Orr
Chelsea graduated from Lakewood High School with a 3.95 GPA. Chelsea excelled academically, took on several leadership roles and was a star athlete. Chelsea is attending Washington State University, studying Human Development and plans to become a Pediatric Occupational Therapist.
2020 Tulalip Senior Boy of the Year: Tal “TJ” Severn
Tal graduated from Marysville Pilchuck High School with a 3.87 GPA. Tal was a 4-year Honor Roll student, while taking A.P. and college level courses. He was a start athlete and spent time supporting his community. Tal is attending Washington State University and plans to major in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Sciences so that he can return to Tulalip and work for Natural Resources.
2020 Indian Education Parent Committee student of the year: Marisa Joseph
Marisa graduated from Marysville Pilchuck High School with a 3.97 GPA while taking A.P. courses. Marisa excelled academically and also contributed to her Tulalip Community. Marisa served on the Tulalip Youth Council with a strong focus on suicide prevention. Marisa is currently attending Dartmouth College and plans to double major in Government and Native American students to eventually become a Tribal Lawyer.
Congratulations to our three students of the year. You are outstanding role models for our community and we look forward to watching your journey of growth, determination and success.
We hope that all of our graduates are doing well and working towards their life goals. Obstacles are inevitable, but possibilities are endless. Honor your roots and never give up. The Tulalip Education Division, Leaders and Community are cheering for you all.
At the start of 2017, the Tulalip Tribal Court implemented a new program to assist addicts on their recovery journey. The Healing to Wellness Court originally drew a bit of skepticism from Tribal membership due to failed experiments with drug courts in the past. However, after tailoring the wellness court to the individual client and incorporating cultural involvement, the program saw success, with a handful of clients completing the program and many addicts who are clean and working hard to maintain their sobriety.
Four years since the announcement of the Healing to Wellness Court, the Tribal Justice department is gearing up to introduce a similar program, but with an emphasis on not only helping their clients live healthy and sober lives, but to reunify families who have been torn apart by the opioid epidemic. Family Wellness Court aims to get the parents clean, help them regain custody of their children and get them out of the court system for good.
Tulalip Tribal Court Director, Alicia Horne explained, “The Family Wellness Court is very similar to the Healing to Wellness Court. It’s an alternative program to help parents with addiction and it’s an evidence-based program to help parents with addiction sustain sobriety. This is something that is different from your traditional beda?chelh case management. The Family Wellness program has wrap-around, intensive family case management to help the family as a whole, so the parents can maintain stable sobriety.”
Although the Family Wellness Court’s game plan mirrors the Healing to Wellness Court model in many aspects, the court wants to stress that the two programs are completely separate from one another. Family Wellness will work with individuals on their own accord, through either a referral or self-referrals, as the new program is 100% voluntary based and not mandated by the courts. Whereas the Healing to Wellness Court works on criminal cases and their clients could potentially face jail time if they fall out of compliance. Family Wellness Court is a guided program where a team creates an individualized plan for the parent, and since the program is voluntary and does not work on criminal cases, the client does not face jail time if they fall off track.
“We’re one of the first in the nation to be doing this as a tribe because we want our people to be healthy, happy and successful,” said Family Wellness Court Coordinator, Melissa Johnson. “We want people to understand it’s different than the standard dependency proceeding that parents involved with beda?chelh go through. With more frequent review hearings, in the drug court model, they get a chance to show their progress in real-time. They tend to get their kids back faster in this type of program because of the intensive case management and the added support.”
A team will meet regularly, on a weekly-basis, to discuss the client’s progress or regression. The team then decides on the appropriate action to take, whether that is awarding them with incentives or providing intervention services or resources to help them find their way back to the road of sobriety.
“We assist parents with medical care if they need it, as well as referrals to housing, helping with job placement, job training, so they can live a healthy and sober life and maintain it on their own,” Melissa stated. “We want to give them the skills, the foundation to maintain that healthy lifestyle once they’re finished with our program. One of our goals is to have fewer CPS and beda?chelh involvement.”
Members of the team include Tulalip tribal court’s Chief Judge Michelle Demmert, Associate Judges Janine B. Van Dusen and Leona Colegrove, as well as a Child Advocate Attorney, Parent Advocate Attorney, beda?chelh Manager (Natasha Fryberg), beda?chelh Social Worker, Substance Use Disorder Counselor, Family Wellness Court Coordinator (Melissa), Recovery Support Specialist, and the Wellness Program Manager.
Said Melissa, “The team meets weekly and the program is going to last around a year, sometimes it takes longer. It’s based on individual needs because some parents need more support than others. Rather than feeling lost in the system, the participants will gain a sense of continuity and identification with the program. The hearings will allow the judge to provide the support, encouragement and responses as needed. What happens really is the courtroom becomes more of a therapeutic environment versus what it is now. We want them to build trust and a relationship with the judge, so they’re not afraid of interacting with the judge.”
The Tulalip Tribal Court believes that this collaboration between multiple departments, with the same intent of helping someone attain sobriety, is the key to success with drug court clients. Helping them establish relationships with the judges and task force members, the clients are included in the entire process from the moment they accept the help from the Family Wellness Court to the moment they are reunified with their children.
“I am thrilled that the Tulalip tribal court and community will be able to engage in this holistic child welfare program,” shared Child Advocate Attorney, Chori Folkman. “Studies have shown that this type of collaborative team-based approach results in faster case resolution and more families becoming reunified than a normal child welfare case. The support of beda?chelh will be complimented by all the other team members who will be working hard to support the needs of parents to become healthy and reach their full potential for the children. I think that in the Tulalip system, we can make this type of court successful as we tailor it to the specific needs of the Tulalip community.”
Another reason that clients are remaining clean and sober throughout and following their journey with the Healing to Wellness Court program can be credited to the Tulalip culture. The program requires its clients to fulfill ‘give-back’ hours to the community. During those volunteer hours, clients not only occupy their time and keep their hands busy during fun, healthy community events, they also begin the process of reintegrating back into the tribal community by participating in cultural practices such as singing, dancing, and learning more of their ancestral lifeways.
Alicia agrees that the cultural aspect is one of the major contributors to the success of Healing to Wellness Court clients, which is why the tribal courthouse elected to include community and cultural involvement in the new Family Wellness Court program, providing good medicine while encouraging their clients to drop the bad drugs.
With the establishment of the Family Wellness Court, the Tulalip Justice System continues to combat the drug epidemic on the reservation. The tribal court recently launched the ODMAP program which tracks overdoses that occur on Tulalip territory to help prevent and reduce the loss of lives due to overdose in the community.
Family Wellness Court intends on officially beginning operations, offering their services to the community, by mid-January 2021. To qualify for the Family Wellness Court’s services, you must be the parent of a Tulalip tribal member who currently has an open child dependency case with the Tribal Court System. Please contact your attorney, beda?chelh social worker or call (360) 716-4764 if you believe the Family Wellness Court can benefit you and your family.
“The Family Wellness Court is a model of a community involvement approach. We hope that the community will begin to see the courts as a healing institution; one that can provide solutions for the communities’ various needs,” expressed Chief Judge Demmert. “The Family Wellness Court is another example of how the tribal justice system is evolving to address the needs of the community in a culturally competent manner. We all need to recognize that we have the knowledge of our ancestors standing with us and at times, holding us up.”
“There are a lot of overdoses during bonus and Christmas time,” said ODMAP (Overdose Detection Mapping & Application Program) Outreach Specialist, Tashena Hill. “People are feeling sad because they can’t be with their families or they are reminded of family members who passed on. ODs really spike during this time of year, so it is very important for us to get this information out.”
As overdose rates continue to climb nationwide, the Tulalip Tribal Court is taking action in an attempt to address the opioid epidemic on the reservation. Multiple studies from the likes of the CDC and the Washington Post report that Indian Country has been hit the hardest, claiming that from 2006-2014 Natives were 50% more likely to die from an opioid overdose than any other race in the country. Those reputable sources also released a disclaimer stating those statistics are more than likely under reported due to a number of factors. Most misreporting stems from hospitals and coroners indicating the incorrect race on the death certificates of overdose victims.
The numbers reported on a national level are still staggering. After approximately 70,000 overdose related deaths occurred in 2017, the United States saw that number decrease to 67,000 in 2018. Unfortunately, in 2019, the CDC reports that the drug overdose rate rose by 4.6% in the course of a year to nearly 71,000 deaths nationwide. Early projections indicate that those numbers may have spiked yet again in 2020, citing the novel coronavirus as a key contributor to several overdoses throughout the year.
In 2017, roughly 30% of deaths in Washington State were attributed to overdose with a large percentage occurring in Snohomish county, particularly the Marysville, Everett and Tulalip region. It would be extremely challenging, however, if you wanted to gather and analyze data regarding the number of overdoses and overdose related deaths at Tulalip alone, as reportings tend to vary based on jurisdictions and which emergency response team answers the call of distress.
Tulalip Tribal Court Director Alicia Horne explained, “Right now, Tulalip has no central data to utilize to determine OD. This new program is going to create the database to track those statistics, that’s one of the objectives of this program. And prevention. If an emergency response team is responding to a 9-1-1 call and they issue Narcan, having that information will help this program go out to do intervention services and provide detoxing treatments, getting them set-up on a Suboxone or Methadone program. This will help us collect data to see what the overdose rate is in the Tulalip community and how we can provide prevention and intervention services.”
ODMAP, or the Overdose Detection Mapping & Application Program, is a service utilized by communities across the nation. Counties that have elected to use the company’s database have been able to significantly reduce the number of overdoses in their region.
“ODMAP is a system that emergency response personnel like the fire department, EMTs, and the police department can enter real-time data regarding an overdose,” said ODMAP Project Coordinator, Kali Joseph. “That includes a general location of the overdose, whether Naloxone was administered, how much Naloxone was administered, and whether the overdose was fatal or not. And then we have our outreach workers deploy the resources to those people who are susceptible to overdose or are suffering with substance abuse disorder.”
Having access to those reports is a major step in addressing the opioid and heroin epidemic on the reservation. Now TPD and other emergency response teams can pinpoint specific neighborhoods and areas that are affected most by drug overdose and can thereby, in theory, disrupt any activity when the numbers are on the rise.
“Using the ODMAP app we can see a spike happen in real-time,” expressed ODMAP Social Worker, Cara McCoy. “When we have all these spikes and overdoses, we can warn the community that maybe there’s a bad drug and to be careful. The app is really easy to use so the officer or whoever has the app will be able to capture it immediately so we have more accurate numbers.”
In addition to tracking and monitoring overdoses on the reservation, the ODMAP team is focused on promoting a healthy Tulalip community and will provide outreach work, cultural activities, and endless resources for those ready and willing to leave their addiction in the past.
“We’re working on getting a list of all the things that could be barriers in between someone obtaining their sobriety,” stated Kali. “That could be food, a driving abstract, Washington State ID, duffle bag, clothes, signing up for insurance, cell phones, or providing them with a ride. Sometimes the fees for a driving abstract or an ID, to be able to get into a detox center or treatment, can be a very big barrier for people trying to get clean and sober so we just want be able to help them break down those barriers.”
Added Tashena, “The biggest obstacle for any of our clients is having a place to go after coming home from treatment or jail. The Tribe doesn’t offer anything for short-term, so we’re working on trying to find a place for them to go in the interim. We need somewhere for them to go so they can be successful on their journey.”
The very first project for the ODMAP team is taking place on December 16, a virtual training session that will inform those who attend how to appropriately and effectively administer Naloxone or Narcan nasal spray, which can potentially save someone’s life in the event of an overdose. According to their research, 690 overdoses in Washington State were reversed with Naloxone in 2016.
“It first started with Cara setting up a meeting with the Swinomish Wellness Center, they have reduced their overdose rate by 50%,” Kali noted. “We asked them what type of things they’re doing to reduce their rate so greatly and they said that a big factor was distributing Narcan to the community members. We thought we should have a Narcan distribution for our community right before the holidays. It was actually Tashena’s idea to do it before the holidays, especially because we all get this big chunk of money. We are here for prevention and we think that sharing information and knowledge is a really good prevention method, as well as distributing the Narcan.”
In total, the ODMAP team will distribute 50 Narcan kits to the community by December 18. Those who wish to receive a kit will be required to sign-up and attend a GoToMeeting session on Wednesday December 16. The trainings will be split into two sessions, one at 10:00 a.m. and the other at 2:00 p.m., and will be limited to 25 participants per session. After attending the training, the ODMAP team will hand-deliver the Narcan kits to your doorstep, along with other resources, including information about the program as well as some fun holiday gifts. You must be at least 13 years old to attend the training and receive a Narcan kit.
“Our team is driven to reduce the overdose rates here at Tulalip,” expressed Tashena. “This is important to me as a Tribal member who has suffered from this opioid affliction, being able to give back to my people and show them there is hope. If I can overcome such a horrendous obstacle then anyone can. There is help here for people that want it or need it. There are people who care and are more than willing to help our community members if they want it. The upcoming Narcan training is so important because if we can save anyone, even one person, that is a win. Every last person matters. That is our way, huyadad, to care for every one of our members. At least that’s what my grandfather Stan Jones Sr. taught me – to care for everyone.”
For further information and to register for the upcoming Narcan presentation and distribution, please contact Tashena Hill at (360)-913-7897 or tahill@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov, Melissa Gover at (360)-631-2668 or mgover@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov, or Cara McCoy at (360)-631-7443 or cmccoy@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov.
The tragic loss of police officer Charlie Cortez, who died in the line of duty on November 17 after his patrol boat capsized, has been felt near and far. A 29-year-old hero and father of two young children, his family and friends offer prayers and well wishes to the recovery teams who depart Tulalip Marina shortly after sunrise every day in search of the fallen Tulalip tribal member.
“To date, we’ve used some of the best technology in the world to aid in our search and recovery mission,” explained Chris Sutter, Tulalip Police Chief. “Advanced underwater sonar imaging of the ocean floor, underwater drones, air resources including fixed wing aircrafts, helicopters, and unmanned drones, and, our most important resource of all, thousands of hours of manpower by dedicated first responders, fishermen, and civilian volunteers.
“We’ve done our best to cover all relevant search areas , from north of Tulalip, Port Susan area to Camano Island, top end of Whidbey Island, both sides of Hat Island, up the Snohomish River system, and all the way down past Mukilteo looking for our lost officer,” he continued. “We have not turned away any resources, as we’ve had many vessels and specialized search teams on the water searching far and wide.”
One such resource is the King County Search Dogs. A part of the King County Search and Rescue Association, the highly specialized canine unit assists law enforcement agencies with missing person searches and human recovery in the wilderness and urban settings. A team of ten (four dogs, four handlers and two support) joined Tulalip’s recovery efforts for Officer Cortez on December 5.
The search dog unit were briefed by Chief Sutter and Commander Robert Myers at the local marina before being transported to the primary search area by Fish and Wildlife boat operator supervisor Bernie Edge and Tulalip citizen Sam Davis.
The extraordinary dog-handler teams are trained for effective and efficient searches thanks to the four-legged companions’ possession of up to 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, compared to about six million in people. The part of a dog’s brain that is devoted to analyzing smells is, proportionally speaking, 40 times greater than the average human.
Dogs’ sense of smell overpowers our own by orders of magnitude – it’s 10,000 to 100,000 times as acute, scientists say. “Let’s suppose they’re just 10,000 times better,” says James Walker, former director of the Sensory Research Institute at Florida State University, who came up with that jaw-dropping estimate during a rigorously designed, oft-cited study. “If you make the analogy to vision, what you and I can see at a third of a mile, a dog could see more than 3,000 miles away.”*
Three super powered snouts actively worked the waters of Possession Sound, between Port of Everett, Priest Point and Hat Island, while a fourth roamed on land in search of any possible leads. Dog handler Joan Hitchner, an 18-year vet with search and rescue, trailed 7-year-old R2 as he traversed nearly six miles of sand dunes, boulders, a horde of driftwood, and wetland sniffing for viable scent trails on Jetty Island.
On water, the search dogs literally stood on bow and stern of two separate boats while being taxied back and forth along the coastal waters for hour after hour. With noses held high, they processed the Possession Sound environment for any trace of Officer Cortez.
“Recovery efforts from water, especially the ocean, is inherently challenging because water is in a constantly changing state,” said dog handler Josh Gerstman, a 23-year vet with search and rescue, while beside his 8-year-old chocolate Labrador, Natick. “Fluctuating water temperatures, ocean depths, wind currents, turbidity and tidal impacts are all variables that cannot be understated. Our dogs’ sense of smell is incredible and they adhered to their training admirably under these conditions.”
After their day on the water and along the coast, the search and recovery teams reconvened at the Tulalip Marina to debrief. Information received from the search dogs will be further analyzed with all other search effort information logged to date.
“Each day for the past three weeks, we’ve had different teams from a variety of local, regional and state agencies participate in our search and recovery mission,” reflected Chief Sutter. “Having the canine search team out today really gives us hope as we continue to bring in as many resources as we can to help locate and recover Officer Cortez. We are grateful to receive support from our neighboring King County Sherriff’s Office and every other community partner who has dedicated time and resources to support us.”
In the three weeks since Tulalip lost its first ever officer in the line of duty, the Tulalip Police Department, in partnership with Fish and Wildlife staff and countless fishermen, remain committed to bringing Officer Cortez home. Their exhaustive efforts show the depth of this community’s love for each other and of the brotherhood of law enforcement. The search continues.
Tulalip tribal member RaeQuan Battle has been getting buckets since the moment he was able to shoot a basketball. From his early days spent endlessly shooting in the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club gymnasium to his more formative years at Marysville Pilchuck High School, where he led the Tomahawks to back-to-back State tournaments, RaeQuan’s talents on the hardwood have always been astonishing.
Last year, during his freshman season at the prestigious University of Washington, RaeQuan showed his shooting touch was made for the collegiate level. Averaging a shade over 11 minutes per game, he scored double-digit points five times, connected on twenty-two 3-pointers, and saw action in twenty games for the Huskies.
Now in his second year, the Tulalip phenom is determined to take his game to an even higher level. A sentiment echoed by his head coach during the offseason.
“The thing that makes him great is, he’s got what great players have, which is ultimate confidence,” Huskies head coach Mike Hopkins told The News Tribune. “I believe that he thinks if he took a half-court shot, it’s going in…I wish I had that as a player.
“At the end of the day, he had some incredible moments as a freshman,” Hopkins continued. “His ability to shoot the ball and he’s got a quick release. The one thing that people don’t know about RaeQuan, [he] can fly. Like he can really jump. His future is on a different level. His potential is just limitless.”
Limitless potential. That’s very high praise from any coach, especially one running a D-1 collegiate program. To his credit, the 19-year-old RaeQuan fully understands that in order to reach his full potential he has to continue training his body for the strength and conditioning necessary to compete on both sides of the court, while continuing to look for ways to improve his all-around game.
“I’m focused on improving my ball handling and my defense. Once I’ve added those to my game, to go with my shooting and athletic abilities, I could do whatever I want on the basketball court,” said the sophomore sharpshooter. “Hitting the gym for a variety of workouts to help me get stronger is a priority, too. I know putting in the work will make me better.”
All his dedication to improving his game in the offseason was on full display in the Huskies season opener versus the #2 ranked team in the country, Baylor, on November 29. Coming off the bench, the 6’5 shooting guard led his team in scoring and minutes played. Never one to shy away from an open 3-pointer, he went 2-8 from downtown while also displaying his court vision for three assists.
Outside of his athletic prowess on the court, RaeQuan has accepted the mantle as cultural ambassador for his Native culture. Something many his age typically shy away from.
“I do consider myself an ambassador for the Tulalip Reservation,” he explained. Even on the Seattle campus with thousands of students, he stands out for his towering frame and eagerly describes his proud Tulalip culture to anyone curious enough to ask. “Whenever my name gets said, I want people to think of Tulalip, and for everyone back home to know I’m proud of where we come from.”
Quite literally wearing his culture on his sleeves, RaeQuan has a number of tattoos honoring his tribe. ‘Respect the past, Create the future’, accented by eagle feathers, is on the inside of his left arm. However, it’s the large Lushootseed print on both forearms that stand out most. One arm reads ‘dxʷlilap’ (Lushootseed spelling of Tulalip) and the other ‘səswix̌ab’ (Lushootseed spelling of his mom, Jacquie Battle’s Indian name).
“I wear number 21 for my mom,” said the Marysville Pilchuck alum. “She wore it in high school. My mom worked her butt off to provide for me and my siblings. She’s always done whatever is necessary for us, and I want to repay her by being the best man that I can be.”
With his playing time expected to increase this season and his offensive role sure to expand as well, the future remains bright for Tulalip’s latest sports icon. With the ultimate hoops dream to play in the NBA, RaeQuan remains dedicated to all the youth who adore him as their hero.
“It means a lot knowing [Tulalip youth] look up to me because I’m proud to be a role model to them and show them what’s possible,” he shared. “I still love visiting the Boys & Girls Club and the Teen Center on the reservation because it brings back a lot of memories, and it shows all the kids that I haven’t forgot about them. After all, they are my number one fans.”
