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EPIC showcases native languages program; Seminole Nation partnership and student testimony highlighted
Summary
EPIC staff demonstrated an interactive native‑languages curriculum built with tribal partners, described plans to expand the program and shared testimony from a Seminole Creek language student about cultural reconnection.
EPIC Charter Schools staff presented a new native languages course and described partnerships with tribal language programs, including work with the Seminole Nation and a local Boys & Girls Club.
Kevin (team operations) and members of the native languages team walked the board through an interactive demo that uses a communicative approach to teach conversational fluency rather than a vocabulary-only method. Tara Damron (Osage Nation) and Jennifer Morrison (native languages specialist) introduced the team and explained that early content is based on concept art and will be developed into fully interactive 3D content. Staff said the course can be exported to the district’s learning platforms so it can be offered synchronously and asynchronously.
Kevin told the board the design aims to create learners who can use the language with families, not only students, noting that family use is important to stem language loss. He said design choices include careful use of technology and some AI tools to support dialog production, and that some tribes remain cautious about technology—staff described outreach and trust-building as ongoing work.
Student Jennifer Trevino and her mother Jamie spoke about the program’s personal impact. Trevino, who studies the Seminole Creek language, said the course helped her reconnect with her culture: "I started beading and making ribbon skirts and just being able to connect with my culture," she said. Her mother told the board the program had boosted Jennifer’s confidence.
Staff said the project already has national interest; EPIC had been invited to present at a National Native American Languages Resource Center summit. Staff said the program currently serves high school students with a two‑year sequence that can satisfy world language requirements, with plans to extend to four years of high school courses before designing lower-grade materials.
No board action was requested; presenters asked only for continued board support as the program develops.
