Cecelia Lucero
Laguna Elementary School
Laguna Pueblo, NM

"I am a child of the land. My father instilled in me a reverence for the land of my birth. He taught me a sense of place. In the words of Irving Standing Chief, 'In my grandfather's time, knowledge of the world was the power; in this generation, knowledge is the power of the world.' By integrating traditional Pueblo teachings into my environmental science lessons, my students are making a connection to their own sense of place through the knowledge they are gaining on our reservation. I am teaching a second generation of students and these children are sharing their knowledge with their parents who didn't have the opportunity to learn this in the past."

"Come the Dance. Not in the recorded memory of the Laguna people have the six villages sung, danced, and prayed together as one people. Through the efforts of Mrs. Lucero, the children helped convince the parents, village leaders, and tribal officials that we are all Laguna - Native and Non-Native alike. We sang, danced, and prayed on that day in May 2002 for the first time - children teaching adults how to forgive and forget. Mrs. Lucero taught us all that teaching from the heart as well as the mind can move us beyond ourselves, and that all things are connected through participation, love, sacrifice, and petition. She taught us all that day-she helped save Laguna culture, and for that, she earned the deepest respect of her students and her people."

Cecelia, a Native American who also teaches Native American children, uses the Keresan language as an integral part of her thematic, curricular units. She uses traditional stories as a teaching tool and as a way of connecting her lessons to the Native American perspective of what occurs in nature. For example, Cecelia teaches both legends and scientific research to help her students understand the different phases of the moon. The stories empower the children by connecting them to their culture and by providing them with a sense of their place in the world. At the same time, the children are exposed to and master the scientific principles behind the moon's phases. Cecelia strives to teach her students to be articulate and to feel both responsibility and respect for the environment and for Mother Earth.

Other Highlights:

• New Mexico Teacher of the Year, NM State Veterans of Foreign Wars, 2002
• University of New Mexico's Science Academy for 4 years
• Teacher Consultant, New Mexico Geographic Alliance
• Former United States Peace Corps Volunteer
• Special Achievement Award - Bureau of Indian Affairs
• Fulbright Fellowship - Japan, 1995
• Honor Teacher, NASA NEWEST Program, 1990