fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Holiday Gift Subscription
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

New Paltz ditches Columbus, will celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day

by Sharyn Flanagan
October 14, 2019
in Education
3
Letter: Columbus Day should remain on the calendar in New Paltz

At their recent regular meeting on Wednesday, June 21, the New Paltz Central School District Board of Education passed a resolution to designate the school holiday that falls on the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Curriculum will be developed for all New Paltz schools to support the new focus, with the board’s intention that the period of time between Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Thanksgiving Day be used “as an opportunity to honor and respect indigenous peoples and their contributions to this region and the Americas, in an effort to build a more aware, inclusive and knowledgeable school community.”

The resolution passed by a vote of 6-0. Board member Sophia Skiles was not in attendance, but because it was she who initiated the process to change the holiday last December, a written statement by her in support of the resolution was entered into the record and read aloud at the meeting by trustee Steve Greenfield.

Columbus Day became a federal holiday in 1937, initially intended to commemorate the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. But his portrayal as discoverer of the Americas is no longer considered to be accurate, with evidence that the first Europeans to cross the Atlantic were Vikings. In addition, the indigenous peoples already inhabiting the land when he arrived had been here for thousands of years. The actions taken by Columbus and European settlers upon their arrival to these shores is known to have led to the demise of a large number of native peoples, so the celebration of Columbus Day has become controversial in many communities. It’s hung on as a celebration of Italian-American heritage in large part, but the New Paltz School Board maintains that with what is known now, it’s a matter of evolving.

In their boardroom discussions about the matter over the past year, each trustee has gone on the record supporting the change from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Their reasons ultimately boil down to the desire to update how American history is taught to students, providing a more thorough picture of the complexities of history and recognizing the contributions of Native Americans.

Before the board members made their final vote, schools Superintendent Maria Rice said she’d been asked by a person (left unnamed) to broach the idea of leaving Columbus Day as it is now and creating an Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the Monday before Thanksgiving. The idea was discussed but rejected by each board member present, who all basically said it would negate the entire reason for making the change in the first place.

Join the family! Grab a free month of HV1 from the folks who have brought you substantive local news since 1972. We made it 50 years thanks to support from readers like you. Help us keep real journalism alive.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher
Previous Post

On the heels of a resounding victory, Stockade FC enters a significant holiday weekend

Next Post

Saugerties’ unassuming new visitors’ center

Sharyn Flanagan

Related Posts

Wild Earth collaborates with the KCSD to get kids out of the classroom and into their natural surroundings
Education

Wild Earth collaborates with the KCSD to get kids out of the classroom and into their natural surroundings

January 23, 2023
Onteora faces “unfathomable” choices as district’s enrollment dwindles
Education

Onteora faces “unfathomable” choices as district’s enrollment dwindles

January 22, 2023
In-person learning delayed once again in New Paltz
Education

New superintendent of New Paltz Central schools hopes to enhance the district’s social media presence

January 20, 2023
Lenape elementary students wow families with presentations on natural disasters 
Education

Lenape elementary students wow families with presentations on natural disasters 

January 19, 2023
Full-day pre-K to launch in Saugerties this January
Education

Saugerties school officials deal with a burst pipe on Christmas day

January 19, 2023
This week in sports (5/5/21)
Education

After 18 seasons and a state championship, Mike Groppuso steps down as Kingston High School baseball coach

January 16, 2023
Next Post
Saugerties’ unassuming new visitors’ center

Saugerties’ unassuming new visitors’ center

Please login to join discussion

Trending News

  • Onteora faces “unfathomable” choices as district’s enrollment dwindles 1.4k views
  • Stockade FC will play at Marist College’s Tenney Stadium while Dietz Stadium is being renovated 824 views
  • Who is Howard Harris, and why is he so angry at Woodstock town supervisor Bill McKenna? 734 views
  • Hunter Mountain’s ski weekend nightlife is staging a post-pandemic comeback 692 views
  • Saugerties to host inaugural Snow Moon Festival February 3 to 5 641 views
  • Top 10 free sledding hills in Ulster County (if it ever snows) 576 views

Weather

Kingston
◉
32°
Cloudy
7:13 am5:04 pm EST
Feels like: 28°F
Wind: 4mph WSW
Humidity: 60%
Pressure: 29.94"Hg
UV index: 0
SatSunMon
46/30°F
46/30°F
37/27°F
Weather forecast Kingston, New York ▸

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Holiday Gift Subscription

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In
  • Free HV1 Trial

© 2022 Ulster Publishing