Sherman Indian High School (SIHS) is an off-reservation boarding

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

for Native Americans. Originally opened in 1892 as the Perris Indian School, in

Perris, California Perris is an old railway city in Riverside County, California, United States, located east-southeast of Los Angeles and north of San Diego. It is known for Lake Perris, an artificial lake, skydiving, and its sunny dry climate. Perris is with ...

, the school was relocated to

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

in 1903, under the name Sherman Institute. When the school was accredited by the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Sam ...

in 1971, it became known as Sherman Indian High School. Operated by the Bureau of Indian Education/ Bureau of Indian Affairs and the United States Government Department of the Interior, the school serves grades 9 through 12. The school mascot is the Brave and the school colors are purple and yellow. There are seven dormitory facilities on the SIHS grounds. The male facilities are Wigwam, Ramona, and Kiva. Female facilities are Wauneka, Dawaki, and Winona. The last dorm is a transition dorm, Hogan. In addition to the seven dorms, there is also a set of 13 honor apartments named Sunset. Only four dorms are available for students to live in including Wigwam, Ramona, Wauneka and Winona.

History

According to the Sherman Indian Museum, SIHS was founded by the United States Government in order to assimilate Native Americans into the mainstream society. SIHS was originally known as the Perris Indian School, which was established in 1892 under the direction of Mr. M. S. Savage. This was the first off-reservation boarding school in California. The enrollment then consisted of Southern California Indian children from the Tule River Agency to

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...

. Students ranged in age from 5 years old to early 20s. The main subjects taught were agriculture and domestic science. Sherman Institute Class of 1919

The site in

was at the corner of today's Perris Boulevard and Morgan Street. Due to an inadequate water supply to conduct the primary subjects at the school, a better location was sought. By 1901 a site in the city of Riverside was selected, at the corner of Magnolia Avenue and Jackson Street. On July 19, 1901, the cornerstone was laid for the new school building of Sherman Institute. Perris Indian School remained in operation until December 1904 when the remaining students were transferred to Riverside. It was named after Congressman James S. Sherman, who helped establish funding for the school in 1900. The

Mission Revival Style architecture The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

was considered a novelty when the school was built, and the city promoted the school as one of the landmarks to visit by tourists. To meet earthquake standards, most of the original school buildings were demolished during the 1970s, and new structures were built in their place. The California Native Tribes were required to pay for the demolition and for the new buildings.Carol Ray, at NativeVillage.org. During the 2008–09 school year, SIHS administration removed more than 30 staff from their facility, upsetting the students. The students protested, to no effect. Officials stated that there were not enough Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) funds to pay the employees that had been let go.

Sherman Indian Museum

The Sherman Museum is currently the school's only original architecture; it was once the school's administration building. The building has been designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

and Riverside Landmark number 16. In 1995

Huell Howser Huell Burnley Howser (October 18, 1945 – January 7, 2013) was an American television personality, actor, producer, writer, singer, and voice artist, best known for hosting, producing, and writing ''California's Gold'' and his human interest sh ...

Productions, in association with KCET/Los Angeles, featured Sherman Indian High School in ''

California's Gold ''California's Gold'' is a public television human interest program that explores the natural, cultural, and historical features of California. The series ran for 24 seasons beginning in 1991, and was produced and hosted by Huell Howser in colla ...

''.

Sherman Cemetery

Because of Bureau of Indian Affairs policies, students did not return home for several years. Those who died were often buried in the school cemetery. May 3 marks an old tradition amongst the local tribes where many local reservations decorate their cemeteries with flowers and replace old crosses. Sherman Indian High School designates this as Indian Flower Day.

Annual events

Every year, in mid-April, Sherman hosts a one-day

pow-wow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Powwows today allow Indigenous people to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their cultures. Powwows may be private or pu ...

. The event officially ends Sherman's parent-teacher conference week. SIHS holds an annual Talent Show on the Thursday of that week. The Miss Sherman Pageant also occurs during this week annually, traditionally on Friday, the evening before the pow-wow.

Notable faculty and alumni

* Reggie Attache, professional

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player, attended SIHS * Elmer Busch, professional American football player, attended from 1907–1910 *

Jean Fredericks Jean Fredericks (1906–1990) was a Hopi photographer. He grew up in Old Oraibi, Arizona, a village located on Third Mesa on the Hopi Reservation.Masayesva, Victor. Hopi Photographers, Hopi Images. Tucson, AZ: Sun Tracks & University of Arizona P ...

, photographer, attended after receiving grade school education on the

Third Mesa Hotevilla-Bacavi (Hopi: Hotvela-Paaqavi; also known as Third Mesa) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Navajo County, Arizona, United States, on the Hopi Reservation. The population was 957 at the 2010 census. History Hotevilla was first set ...

Hopi Reservation * Matthew B. Juan, SIHS graduate, Native American hero of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, killed in action * "Big Chief" Russell Moore, jazz trombonist, graduated 1933 * Bemus Pierce, professional American football player, coached Sherman Braves in 1902 and 1903

References

External links

*
Sherman Indian Museum
{{authority control Native American boarding schools High schools in Riverside, California High schools in Riverside County, California Native Americans in Riverside County, California Public high schools in California National Register of Historic Places in Riverside County, California 1892 establishments in California Educational institutions established in 1892 Landmarks in Riverside, California Mission Revival architecture in California Bureau of Indian Education schools in California Public boarding schools in the United States Boarding schools in California Native American high schools Native Americans in California