School History and Growth
The Bug O Nay Ge Shig School was founded in 1975 in Cass Lake, Minnesota as an alternative school to serve 35 Ojibwe students from Leech Lake Reservation. The school was started in response to parents' concerns that public schools were not meeting the students academic and cultural needs. The school was named in honor of Bug O Nay Ge Shig, a local Ojibwe who lived in that area at the turn of the century. Since that time, the school has transformed its role into a magnet school which serves Native American students living on or near Leech Lake Reservation. After 25 years, the Bug O Nay Ge Shig now Serves more than 200 of various tribal backgrounds. It is operated by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and governed by the Bug O Nay Ge Shig School board. It is located in the Chippewa National Forest in North central Minnesota and is now a K-12 school that provides open enrollment.
Many former students have proudly served in the United States Armed Forces, helping to keep America free and safe. The Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School, the community, the Leech Lake Reservation, the State of Minnesota, and the United States government are proud of these brave, young men and women.
