July 6, 2010 > Native American Studies moves to a new home Native American Studies moves to a new home Submitted By Therese Gain Photos By Steve Giudici On Saturday, July 10, the local Native American community and Fremont Unified School District will celebrate the completion of a new facility for the Native American Studies Program (NASP) and re-location to a new home. The new facility, approved by the School Board in March and funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds (ARRA), will be located at the Fremont Adult School on Calaveras Avenue. NASP has been housed in temporary facilities at Irvington High School for the past decade. The day's events will begin at dawn with traditional Native American ceremonies at both Irvington High School and the Fremont Adult School. Then walkers will march from the Irvington High School location to the new facility at the Adult School where there will be a welcoming, a purification and blessing of the new space followed by a reception. Three underutilized Adult School classroom spaces were converted into a new suite for the NASP program. Centerpiece of the new facility is the museum which houses historic artifacts illustrating the cultures of all Native American tribes. The suite also includes classroom space for classes, tutoring and meetings, as well as office and storage space. Conversion was constructed by BHM Construction, Inc. of Vallejo. The Native American Studies Program has a long history within the Fremont Unified School District, going back to the 1980's. The program provides tutoring for at-risk students of Native American descent, cultural enrichment programs to help students explore their native culture, and tours of the program's museum for all FUSD students. The entire Fremont community is welcome to participate in any of the day's events: 5 a.m. - Gathering at Fremont Adult School, 4700 Calaveras Avenue and also at 5 a.m. - Gathering at Irvington High School, 41800 Blacow Road (Choose one or the other.) 6 a.m. - 8 a.m. Walk of New Beginnings from Irvington to Fremont Adult School 8:30 a.m. - Welcoming Remarks and Blessing Ceremony at Fremont Adult School 9:30 a.m. - Refreshments at Fremont Adult School Tours of Native American Studies Program Suite For additional information call either Fremont Unified School district at (510) 979-7700 or the Native American Studies Program at (510) 659-1092.