Edmond couple Brent and Kennetha Greenwood honored as Parents of the Year
BY JOHN A. WILLIAMS
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Published: October 20, 2009
Modified: October 21, 2009 at 12:52 am
Modified: October 21, 2009 at 12:52 am
EDMOND — The National Indian Education Association named an Edmond couple Parents of the Year.
Brent and Kennetha Greenwood also were the Oklahoma Indian Education Association Parents of the Year in 2008. Brent said he and his wife hope their children get every educational opportunity available while being trained in American Indian heritage. "We keep them involved in Native American dancing and heritage, and we sing our tribal hymns at church,” Brent said. "The kids also practice their Otoe-Missouria language. It’s also important they be involved with our faith and being spiritually grounded.” The Greenwoods were nominated by Sydna Yellowfish, the head of Edmond Public Schools’ Indian Education. She said the Greenwoods deserve rewards for many reasons. "They work as a team,” she said. "They support their two children in their education, art and music and encourage them to explore new ideas.” Brent is a rural carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and an artist. He is from Ponca and Chickasaw heritage. Kennetha is from the Otoe-Missouria Tribe and is a University of Central Oklahoma student. The Greenwoods have run statewide American Indian activities and the Native American Festival in Oklahoma City. Brent Greenwood said he and his wife try to lead by example for their son, Me-way-seh, 13, and their 10-year-old daughter, Anevay. "If our kids see us in the studio painting or doing beadwork or singing a song, the tribal songs, it’s going to be natural that they pick up on it too,” he said. Me-way-seh plays the viola and the American Indian flute. He is also a bead worker. Anevay plays piano and is a budding artist. Kennetha said it is getting harder to carry on their culture. "So we try to instill as much of it as we can in our children,” she said. "That’s what God gave us, our language and our culture. It’s up to us to try to carry it on because it is a good way to live.”
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