(KNZA)--Royal Valley USD 337 in collaboration with the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation will host the 2nd Annual Cultural Heritage Night at the Royal Valley High School Gymnasium in Hoyt Tuesday evening, December 17.

The Royal Valley Panthers basketball teams will take on the Holton Wildcats and throughout the evening, activities of Potawatomi cultural significance will occur including a special dance performance by the Royal Valley Singers and Dancers.

According to a press release from the tribe, Royal Valley is one of very few school districts in Kansas that serve the membership of a tribal nation, with about 143 enrolled Prairie Band Potawatomi members being served by the district. More than one-third (35%) of the 868 students that attend Royal Valley school district identify as Native American.

The release says both Royal Valley USD 337 and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation are excited to see the student body and the larger Jackson County community accepting and embracing the local community’s diversity.

 PBPN Chairman Joseph Rupnick said, “It is important for our children, and our community, to continue strengthening our ability to communicate and relate with one another, activities like this build social equity.”

 Several attendees at the inaugural event were stunned by the intricacy of the native students’ regalia and their physical stamina - many adults that had attended Royal Valley or are raising children in the school district voiced being unaware of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation’s cultural legacy.

 Activities for the evening include:

 4 p.m. - Indian Taco Fundraiser hosted by the Boys & Girls Club of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation located in the gym commons.

 4:30 p.m. - Royal Valley Lady Panthers Junior Varsity basketball game versus the Holton Wildcats.

*5:45 p.m. - Prior to the start of the Royal Valley Lady Panthers Varsity basketball game, the PBP Nation’s American Legion We-Ta-Se Post 410 will post flags and PBPN tribal members will perform a flag song, a vocal rendering with the same significance as the American national anthem. 

 Special guest announcer, Manny King from Haskell Indian Nations University, will announce each school’s lineup and scoring during both varsity games.

 *6:30 p.m. – Special Guest DJ “Supaman” will spin during halftime of the Varsity Girls basketball game.

 *7:15 p.m. – Prior to the start of the Royal Valley Boys Varsity basketball game, performance of the national anthem. 

*8 p.m. – The Royal Valley Singers and Dancers, the school’s Native American dance troupe will perform during half time of the Royal Valley Boys Varsity basketball game show casing their talent.

*All times listed after the start of the 4:30 p.m. game are approximate.