Cam1issioner of Indian Affairs Morris Thompson today announced the awarding of two contracts accounting to nearly $9 million in Federal money for Bureau of Indian Affairs day schools at Acomita, New Mexico, and Wanblee, South Dakota.
"These two schools, when completed, will serve a need that has existed for many years," Thompson said.
About 500 children of kindergarten through high school age in Wanblee have been attending class in rented buildings within the town in mobile units, and in old rammed-earth buildings. They are now slated to get a $5,121,600 building that will be of frame construction with brick veneer and have 95,518 square feet of floor area.
Acoma Pueblo has had an elementary school serving about 200 children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Its new $3,563,869 school is expected to enroll about 400 children and serve as a center of Community life as well as a modern educational facility. The building will be of concrete block construction and have 87,945 feet of floor space. It will have a flat roof and blend architecturally with the traditional Pueblo.
“American Indian children have unique learning needs,” Commissioner Thompson said. “They need school facilities that take this into account and that enable Indian children to bridge tile Indian and non-Indian worlds.”
In each instance, a planning committee made up of local citizens and education specialists from the bureau of Indian Affairs was formed. It developed a pr
Each school will include a new gymnasium and the school at Wanblee will have a swimming pool.
Successful bidder for the Wanblee School is R&S Construction Co., Rapid City, South Dakota. Successful bidder for the Acoma School is Lembke Construction Co., Albuquerque, New Mexico.
