Carved from cedar trees by the Native people of the Northwest Coast, totems are outgrowths of the region's aboriginal art forms. Originally an important part of the pot-latch ceremony--a feast with deep meaning to coastal First Nations--totem poles were once raised to represent a family clan, its kinship system, dignity, accomplishments, prestige, adventure, stories, rights, and prerogatives. A totem pole served, in essence, as an emblem of a family or clan and often as a reminder of ancestry. In this article, the author describes how students in Strategies for Adult Independent Living (S.A.I.L.) program worked with Advanced Ceramics students in the general education program to build a sixteen-foot totem representing their individual interests and kinship with one another. The S.A.I.L. program, which is offered at White Plains High School, New York, helps prepare special needs students, ages sixteen to twenty-one, for society. The unique project brought together two groups of students who would not normally interact socially or academically. (Contains 2 online resources.)