Johnson-O’Malley Program Off to a Busy and Culturally-Rich Start to School Year

By Joe Morey News Editor

The Johnson-O’Malley (JOM) program has launched into the school year with a full schedule of cultural learning, educational travel, and hands-on experiences for LCO youth. At the October 18 General Membership Meeting, Johnson-O’Malley Coordinator Amanda Scheel shared a detailed report highlighting recent activities and upcoming plans.

Scheel explained that JOM staff and the Parent Committee have already taken part in multiple major events this fall, including Treaty Day in Red Cliff, the Seven-Gen Summit at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University, and the National Indian Education Association Conference held in Spokane, Washington.

“We’ve really focused on providing our students with opportunities to connect with culture, history, and other Native communities,” Scheel said.

One of this fall’s major highlights was a cultural camp held the last week of September. JOM partnered with Bizhiki Wellness Center to host a fall camp field trip at Project Northwoods Nature Reserve in Winter, Wisconsin.

According to Scheel, the turnout exceeded expectations. “We had close to 400 middle and high school students rotate through six cultural learning stations,” she said. These stations included lessons on:

·        Food sovereignty

·        Fall Ojibwe traditions

·        Indigenous plant identification

·        Ojibwe dancing and regalia

·        Medicinal tea making

·        Double ball, a traditional Ojibwe game

Students attended from both Hayward and Winter schools, helping strengthen inter-community connections among youth.

Looking ahead, the program is already preparing another immersive learning experience, a deer camp field trip planned for the second week of November. JOM is again partnering with Bizhiki Wellness Center, as well as the LCO Boys & Girls Club and LCO Conservation.

“This trip will allow students to learn traditional harvesting practices,” Scheel said. Planned teachings include skinning and butchering a deer, harvesting hooves and sinew, small-game trapping, treaty rights education, and traditional Ojibwe hunting practices. Students will also learn the cultural history of frybread, along with a chance to enjoy it.

Scheel also provided a brief funding update. Due to previous Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) budget cuts, the program filed for a no-cost extension to continue utilizing its 2025 funds through September 30, 2026. 

“That extension was granted, and we submitted our annual student count report months early to avoid grant delays,” she noted.

Although no new awards were released prior to the federal government shutdown, Scheel expressed confidence that JOM services will continue uninterrupted.

“We should be able to carry the program through the end of the school year with no issues,” she assured members.

As the school year continues, the Johnson-O’Malley program remains committed to providing culturally-centered education, hands-on learning, and positive pathways for tribal youth, rooted in the language, history, and traditions of the Lac Courte Oreilles people.