Top Stories Salt Lake City

Thanks to her school’s “Standing Tall” program for American Indian students, Cheyenne Winters is sitting pretty with a four-year full-ride scholarship to the University of Utah.

“I want to succeed and give back to my community and keep my culture alive,” Winters said, after she proudly watched some of her younger co-horts receive honors at a recent Canyons School Board meeting.

The Standing Tall program is in several school districts, including Canyons, Jordan, Granite and Salt Lake City. Students in high school and middle schools receive personal coaching on everything from self-esteem to college prep.

Canyons District Standing Tall participants meet one hour each month to socialize and learn from their leaders and each other.

“I’m proud of my heritage but we’ve lost touch with most of our traditions so being in this group helps us find our roots,” said Denae Blosser, 17, a senior at Jordan High School. She is half Navajo.

Standing Tall leaders let the students know about community events related to American Indian heritage. Blosser has attended some local pow-wows and native art shows recently. The program also helps students learn more about their history through class work. Blosser just took a Navajo government class and is now taking a Navajo language class via electronic high school. “I think to really understand your heritage, you need to start with your language,” she said. “Both my grandparents speak Navajo. It’s a dying language.”

The students are also encouraged to get involved in the community through service.

Josh Picklesimer, 16, a junior at Jordan High School, volunteers at the American Indian Walk-In Center in Salt Lake City where he helps children in recreational activities. “It’s fun to play games with the kids,” said Picklesimer, who is also half Navajo.

Jordan High School counselor David Shirley says he and counselors in other schools keep a close eye on the kids in the program, especially monitoring their class schedule, attendance and grades. The students are encouraged to take college entrance exams and are helped with college and scholarship applications. Since data shows students do better when they have a positive relationship with their teachers, Shirley has the Standing Tall students introduce themselves to their teachers by filling out a form that details their interest in the class. “It helps them make that introduction and it encourages the teachers to reach out to these students,” Shirley said.

The program got its name from the book “Standing Tall,” written by American Indian leader Howard Rainer, who is also program administrator for the Native American Educational Outreach Programs at BYU.