Wyola school on the Crow reservation is the town's only school, has the only playground, and is the only place to grab a quick bite to eat because the cafeteria offers free food to community members. There are 90 students during the school year. K through 8th grade.
Principal and Superintendent Christy Wright says she pushes the small school to be forward thinking as the administration gets ready to break ground on new facilities next month.
“We have a huge robotics program so those are the things that we are very much wanting our kids to get into. Especially our girls,” she said.
A federal grant will fund renovations of the main building, built in the 1950s. And the small temporary pods that were placed outside the main structure in the 1970s will be torn down and replaced with new pods with stem facilities and outdoor accommodations.
“Each pod will have an outdoor learning space where they can walk out of the classroom directly and, and be in that little space that they're going to have designated,” Wright said. “And we're really hoping that's more of a cultural space, so we can do some of our Crow cultural activities.”
Wright says the new pods would act like tiny community centers to give students more personal time with instructors and with each other.
Taylar Stagner is Yellowstone Public Radio's Report for America Indigenous Affairs reporter.
