Salem-Keizer Public Schools
Our Stories - Parent Advisory Committee Leads With Heart at AIAN Celebration
![Organizers of the American Indian Alaskan Native Celebration 2025 pose for a group photo.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1762294276/salkeizk12orus/salkeizk12orus/wwk9nkqxrbh0xv1t0i1l/aian-celebration_2025-1200x675.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1762294276/salkeizk12orus/salkeizk12orus/wwk9nkqxrbh0xv1t0i1l/aian-celebration_2025-1200x675.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1762294276/salkeizk12orus/salkeizk12orus/wwk9nkqxrbh0xv1t0i1l/aian-celebration_2025-1200x675.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1762294276/salkeizk12orus/salkeizk12orus/wwk9nkqxrbh0xv1t0i1l/aian-celebration_2025-1200x675.jpg","width":1200}])
Meet Dana Castanno
At this year’s American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) event, our Salem-Keizer Native Education Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) team helped plan an evening filled with culture, family, and inspiration. The event featured a writing workshop, dinner provided by Tamale Boy, and a special performance by Notorious Cree from Canada.
Notorious Cree shared an inspiring message about the importance of staying connected to culture, elders, and community, a theme that reflects the PAC’s ongoing mission to uplift Native students and families.
For Dana Castanno, chair of the Parent Advisory Committee and a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota, the event represents what happens when families and schools work together for students.
The AIAN event is planned by parents and staff, and it really brings us together. Even our kids give input. This celebration helps create spaces where Native kids feel comfortable and safe. We bring culture to our students along with the education they are getting at their schools.
Dana Castanno, Chair of the Native Education Parent Advisory Committee
PAC treasurer Meaghan Duran shared how the Native Education Program (NEP) and its staff have empowered her to advocate for her children and for the broader Native community.
“She’s given me more of a backbone to speak up for my kids and for the Native community.”
Both leaders expressed gratitude for the Native Education Program staff who make this work possible.
“The NEP staff have been amazing and great to work with,” Castanno said. “Everything they do is so thoughtful and really centered on student needs.”
Through events like the AIAN celebration, and through the collaboration of families, staff, and students, the Parent Advisory Committee continues to strengthen the bond between culture, education, and community, ensuring that every Native student feels seen, valued, and connected.