The sound of a beating drum could be heard reverberating in the hallways.

All the sites and sounds were part of a presentation made to students at Montague Elementary School last week as they celebrated Native American Culture Day.

Principal Gretta Brown said the idea to explore the history and culture of the Karuk Tribe developed after she attended a Karuk Tribal Council meeting to introduce herself.

“I thought it was important to make that connection, especially since about 14 percent of our school population is Karuk,” Brown said.

Following the meeting, Michael Thom, vice chairman of the council, contacted Brown and asked if she would be interested in a presentation, Brown said, noting that she was excited at the possibility.

“It’s important to me as an administrator here to try and strengthen ties as much as possible,” Brown said. “I want our students to be more aware of the customs and be sympathetic to groups’ struggles.”

Brown said dedicating a day to understanding the Karuk Tribe’s culture is important, especially because so many Karuk families have chosen to put their children at Montague Elementary, sometimes despite long travel times.

“We’re very much a family here at Montague Elementary,” she said. “In almost every class there is a Karuk child or someone who knows a Karuk family or has a Karuk friend. That’s something that binds us together here.”

While Thom and Terry Tripp made presentations to classes of students Friday, which was dedicated as Native American Culture Day, Brown said the school had celebrated the culture throughout the entire week.

Karuk students were asked to bring in some of their cultural pieces, which were put on display in a hallway case. Items on display included books, baskets, a drum, jewelry and more.

During his presentation, Thom also showed the students ceremonial jewelry, mini baskets, arrowheads, clothing, weapons and more artifacts. He answered questions about early Karuk living and customs.

“We asked the students what they wanted to know about the culture, and they came up with questions Mr. Thom tried to address in his presentation,” Brown said. “They were most interested in the language and how early Karuks spent their winters and summers.”

Some teachers, such as Jaime Graves, continued the lessons outside of the presentation. As part of her fourth-grade social studies curriculum, students made mini replicas of Karuk houses later Friday.

Brown said she was excited to provide a special day for the students, who seemed extremely interested in what they were learning.

“Anything we can do to strengthen bridges ...” Brown said.