Discovering D.C.’s First People: Students Bring Nacotchtank History to Life | News | Episcopal High School

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10/2/25

Students in Dr. Charlotte Fryar’s Advanced American Studies class have been researching the history and culture of the Nacotchtank Indians, native to the Washington, D.C., area. To deepen that learning, they visited Roosevelt Island, also known as Analostan Island, where they explored the land once inhabited by the tribe. In class, students had designed monuments to commemorate the Nacotchtank people, and the visit provided a hands-on experience that connected their research to the physical spaces the tribe once occupied. “This flex block helped my classroom learning by letting me visualize the places we often discuss and understand more about the land and how it was used,” said Nisha Roy ’27.