Teaching Chickasaw to a new generation of speakers is essential for carrying on the language, which is why the Chickasaw Nation is providing Chickasaw language courses to students at Ada and Byng high schools, with plans to expand to additional schools. The courses count toward the world language graduation requirement, though students enroll for a variety of reasons. Some want to take a unique class while others have the goal of connecting with their culture and ancestors. "For me, it doesn't feel like pressure, but it feels like an honor to keep the language going," says student Kendal McCarty.

The Chickasaw classes are just the beginning for many of these high school students. "We start here, and then it gets bigger," curriculum and instruction manager Delaney Lippard says. Students engage with the language at school, but then may go on to join the immersion program, enroll in college courses, work for the language department or even bring what they learn back to their families at home. "It all goes back to our Chickasaw Nation mission: to enhance the overall quality of life of the Chickasaw people," says language education coordinator Brandon White Eagle. "We live this mission and breathe this mission to pass on our language as it was given to us."