Now, students have a way to learn about and connect with their culture, language and heritage in ways they previously couldn’t in the public school setting, Gonzales said.

“They didn’t know where they came from,” Gonzalez said. “And now they know. And now they can translate. They can greet normally. It’s a norm for them today.”

It’s clear the students’ newfound perspective of their culture has empowered them to embrace their tribal identities, according to Juanita Mesquita, a student support specialist with TUSD’s Native American Student Services Department.

Teaching Yaqui youth how to speak, read and write in Yaqui matters, Gonzalez added, because the language is dying.

There are over 20,000 Yaquis between Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, Gonzalez said. But few Arizona-based tribal members speak Yaqui.

Eleven Yaqui-speaking elders have passed away since January, she added.

“That’s an example of why we need this in our schools,” Gonzalez said. “To continue our language and not let it go away.”

Cholla plans to work with tribal officials to expand its Yaqui course offerings in the future, Principal Frank Armenta said.