WASHINGTON – On November 17 and 18, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell will travel to Arizona to highlight two initiatives that benefit Native American youth. Jewell will first visit Winslow Residential Hall, funded by the Department’s Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), to celebrate a recent public-private partnership with Verizon and Microsoft to provide more than 1,000 Native students nationwide with improved access to digital technology in their classrooms and dorms.
The partnership is part of the Obama Administration’s Generation Indigenous (Gen-I) initiative to invest in opportunities for Native youth success and the President’s ConnectED initiative to provide access to digital learning and education technology resources. Winslow is one of 10 dormitories funded by the BIE that will have high-speed wireless Internet and Microsoft Nokia tablets by early next year, enabling students to use vital tools for learning 24/7.
On Wednesday, Nov. 18, Jewell will join a class of 25 students attending a BIE-funded school at Saguaro National Park in Tucson to participate in fun and educational activities and distribute free passes to America’s federal lands and waters as part of President Obama’s Every Kid in a Park initiative.
The Every Kid in a Park initiative seeks to connect young people with the great outdoors. The program allows fourth graders nationwide to go to www.everykidinapark.gov and obtain a pass for free entry for them and their families to more than 2,000 federally managed lands and waters nationwide for an entire year, starting Sept. 1, 2015. Every Kid in a Park is one of several initiatives spearheaded by the Obama Administration to encourage the next generation to play, learn, serve and work outdoors.
Saguaro National Park protects the iconic saguaro cacti, which only grow in a small portion of the United States. These cacti – also the nation’s largest cacti – symbolize the American west and silhouette magnificent desert landscapes.
Event #1:
Who:
Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Dr. Charles ‘Monty’ Roessel, Director, Bureau of Indian Education
Students from Winslow and Flagstaff Residential Halls
What:
Partnership announcement and student demonstrations followed by a media availability
When:
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015
11:45 a.m. MST – Media check-in
12:00 p.m. MST – Student presentations of Verizon broadband technology
1:30 p.m. MST – Media availability
Where:
Winslow Residential Hall
600 N. Alfred Avenue
Winslow, AZ 86047
Media:
Credentialed members of the media are encouraged to RSVP here.
Event #2:
Who:
Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Darla Sidles, Superintendent, Saguaro National Park
4th Grade Students from Santa Rosa Ranch School
What:
Every Kid in a Park Native youth celebration and educational activity
When:
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015
10:15 a.m. MST – Media check-in
10:30 a.m. MST – Every Kid in a Park outdoor event
Where:
Saguaro National Park
Signal Hill Picnic Area in Tucson, AZ 85743
Directions: Go past the Visitor Center (located at 2700 N Kinney Road) to the intersection of Kinney Road and Sandario Road. Kinney Road ends at a “T” intersection with Sandario Road. Turn right onto Sandario Road and go.2 miles to the intersection with Golden Gate Road. Turn right onto Golden Gate Road and go 1.5 miles to the turn off into Signal Hill Picnic Area. Travel.4 miles to the picnic area.
Media:
Credentialed members of the media are encouraged to RSVP here.
Source: Department of Interior
