Four-year-old Rance Ables of Tishomingo enjoyed the activities at the Cultural Preservation Day.

Students from the Chickasaw Nation Ardmore site show off the paper art they created at the Cultural Preservation Day, conducted April 17.

More than 250 Chickasaw Nation Head Start students spent a day immersed in Chickasaw culture during the fifth annual Chickasaw Nation Cultural Preservation Day, April 17 in Sulphur, Okla.

The event was hosted in conjunction with the Week of the Young Child, which was observed April 14-18.

Many divisions of the Chickasaw Nation pitched in to make the event a success, Danny Wells, Chickasaw Nation Head Start Director, said.

Students had fun fishing, thanks to Head Start transportation staff members. Face painting was offered by tribal Division of Education employees, and Get Fresh! Staffers created healthy snacks for the kids.

A review of Chickasaw words, a dance with the Chickasaw Dance Troupe and a traditional story were also included in the day.

“Cultural Preservation Day is designed to expose these young Chickasaw students to cultural activities and traditional things,” said Wells, “and other departments have a lot of resources available to add to the cultural experience for our youth.”

“Everyone pitches in and helps,” he said.

Head Start teachers, parents and volunteers worked together to make the annual event a success, said Regina Anderson, Chickasaw Nation Head Start Parent Involvement/Social Service Manager.

In a unique twist, dance troupe member and original tribal Head Start student Jeremy Wallace, 32, was led current Head Start students in the traditional snake dance.

Children were also able to select a paperback book to take home, Anderson said, thanks to the “Reading is Fundamental” program.

Judging from the big smiles, the three-and four-year-olds enjoyed their day learning about Chickasaw culture.

Four-year-old Rance Ables, of Tishomingo, Okla., said he almost caught the shark in the fishing booth, but netted goldfish crackers instead.

“There is a shark in there, you know,” he said.

When asked his favorite activity of the day, Rance answered, “all of it.”

“The face painting” was the answer from Nataley Ezell, Sulphur classroom 1.

Students from each site attended the event, including Ada, Ardmore, Duncan, Madill, Sulphur and Tishomingo. All total, 256 students participated in the day.

The event was conducted for the fifth year at Sulphur’s First Baptist Church. Church pastor Bill Leveridge said the church enjoyed hosting the event each year.