Thanks to Chief Sealth International High School assistant principal Scott Reisinger for the photo and report:

Chief Sealth senior Matt Floberg, of the Tlingit Tribe, was honored at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center on June 14th.

Huchoosedah (Seattle Public Schools’ Native Education department) hosted a community supper and recognition for all Native students from SPS. All students were recognized; however, Matt was honored for his academics, athletics, and kind heart.

This year Matt designed and created a carving in the wood shop at Chief Sealth and surprised his Šǝqačib (a Native Leadership class) teacher with the gift. His generous act will serve as an example of a giving spirit to future students.

At the ceremony Matt was presented with a hand drum, a paddle necklace, and a blanket designed by Coast Salish artist Louie Gong.

Congratulations to Matt! You can see his carving here. He and his fellow CSIHS seniors will graduate at 5 pm Tuesday at Southwest Athletic Complex.

SIDE NOTE: Since the report mentioned wood shop, we asked assistant principal Reisinger about its status, following the budget struggles reported here three months ago. He replied, “Chief Sealth will be offering 2 wood shop classes for next year. Although the funding is not at 100% as we all hoped, we were fortunate to receive some additional funding towards the end of the budget process and are making every effort to keep the program going.”