Delasha Finan walked to the front of the room and took the patch of beaver fur. The Imagine Schools on Broadway fourth-grader giggled as she brought it back to her friend to feel, then passed it to the rest of her classmates.

The fur was among many artifacts brought to the charter school Wednesday by Miami Indian beadwork artist Katrina Mitten, who spoke to the students about her tribe’s history.

Mitten, whose daughter works at Imagine, had furs, blankets, musical instruments and a cradle board, a Native American version of a baby car seat, to show the students.

She also brought some beadwork she made and talked about her mother, who wove baskets.

The students got a kick out of Mitten’s spirit name: Spirit Turtle Woman From the East. It’s the name her God knows her by.

“Everyone has their own way of believing, don’t we?” Mitten said.

Mitten is a member of the turtle clan and wore a turtle necklace around her neck. Her husband is a member of the bird clan; people from the same clan can’t marry each other, Mitten said.

The session culminated in Mitten’s son, James, who was dressed in traditional Miami garb, demonstrating a dance.

Events

•Concordia Lutheran School, 4245 Lake Ave., will hold an open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 426-9922, ext. 208.

Recognitions

•Kellen Beutler, Homestead High School student, won first place for her darkroom photograph, and Ashley Rudd, Whitko High School student, won third place in scratchboard at Huntington University’s fifth annual High School Art Exhibit.

•Lana Groombridge, retired Manchester College professor, received the Legacy Award from the Indiana Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance for 2009.

Registration

•Good Shepherd Preschool is now enrolling for the 2010-2011 school year. For details, call 483-6454.

Scholarships

•Earlham College student Paul Berghoff,

of Fort Wayne, was named a Bonner Scholar.

Huntington

•Larry Jackson, chief actuary at Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co., will give a presentation titled “Count On It” at 4 p.m. Friday in Hiner Hall. The seminar will address the mathematical nature of the actuarial career and what Jackson describes as “the unexpected twists and turns which one can count on in a career and in life.”

IPFW

•John Mahlmann, executive director of the National Association for Music Education, will make a presentation from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. today in Rhinehart Recital Hall.

Trine

•The movie “A Serious Man” will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday in Fabiani Theatre in the University Center.