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LCSD continues to grow indigenous education opportunities

Lakeland Catholic School District (LCSD) students are delving even deeper into the history of the nation.
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Lakeland Catholic School District (LCSD) sees growth in their official enrolment numbers.

Lakeland Catholic School District (LCSD) students are delving even deeper into the history of the nation.

“People know pieces of history like that there was a fur trade, there were residential schools, and there was a Sixties Scoop, but it’s confusing to know where to place things where. When you hear new information, you wonder where it fits in history," explained Val Hanson, indigenous education coordinator for the school district.

Hanson said those were some of the reasons why they started offering their teachers the 12-module course: Indigenous Canada.

Throughout the program, educators learn about the history of indigenous culture and how it has changed over the years.

“For our teachers, it’s critical, because they’re teaching more about the history and culture and it’s part of our new curriculum coming out, so they need to have that baseline to teach from,” stressed Hanson. “You also understand the need for reconciliation better when you go through the events that happened and you realize that it was sort of one thing, then another thing, and then another."

LCSD isn't only focusing on bringing awareness of indigenous issues to their teachers. They're also discussing it with their students through certain programming.

For example, Hanson said Holy Cross Elementary in Cold Lake has a tipi in their school.

“It’s not just so First Nations kids can see their culture within the school and that it’s respected, but it’s also for all of our kids. It’s important for them to know that before the Europeans came, the indigenous people had strong value systems,” she explained.

In order to assist teachers with integrating indigenous content into everyday courses such as math, English, and social studies, LCSD created kits that include binders and materials relating to lessons and activities that can be utilized in the classroom.

“Sometimes you find some really great things to do, but you don’t have the materials,” noted Hanson, adding this was one of the reasons why they used some of the $50,000 they received through Alberta Education's Innovation in First Nations Education grant.

“We had some more money there… so we made massive orders to stockpile schools with materials so that when teachers want to do those activities, they aren’t limited by not having those materials in the school."

The district has purchased a large map, which according to Hanson, requires the use of the school gym in order to lay flat.

Students take off their shoes and explore what Canada looked like before provincial borders.

Residential schools and a timeline of indigenous history are all visible on the map.

“You start in one corner and you go around and Europeans coming here is a sliver at the end. It’s allowing kids to physically see that Canada didn’t start 150 years ago, that this land was here for a long time before then and it has a long history. The Canadian part of it is just a little part of our history,” Hanson detailed.

LCSD also utilizes a treaty simulation.

According to Hanson, the school district took "a few that are out there and modified it" for Grade 9 students

The simulation walks the youth through an alien invasion, which disrupts their entire way of life.

Hanson said they tell the students playing hockey and sugar are now illegal and use those examples to explain how treaties changed indigenous culture.

“The kids get the bad end of the deal at the end and their lives are twisted. Then we take a look at the treaty and they say ‘it’s the same thing,’ because the indigenous people had their ceremonies and their language taken away," noted Hanson.

For Notre Dame High School (NDHS) and Assumption Jr./Sr. High School students graduating, there was a unique addition to their ceremonies this year.

“At NDHS, we worked with the Kehewin Cree Nation and the Métis Nation of Alberta to do something different for our indigenous graduates. There were guest speakers, a ceremony that included drumming, and any graduates that are members of the Kehewin Cree Nation received an eagle feather, which is a very honourable thing,” said Hanson, adding they also had the Métis Nation present sashes to the Métis graduates.

The feedback from integrating this into their ceremony was "nothing but positive."

Students and faculty at Holy Cross Elementary, the school where Hanson is vice-principal, have been busy painting rocks in preparation for the creation of a reconciliation rock garden.

“The kids have raised the money for this rock garden. Over the next couple of weeks, we’re getting a full-sized birch tree planted in front of our school, because that’s the traditional tree of the Denee people. Every child in the school is painting a rock," Hanson explained.

The rocks, which will be placed in a circle below the tree, will be separated by colour and grade.

Hanson stressed the importance of teaching youth about indigenous culture and history.

“The kids in our school are growing up with things vastly different than I did growing up,” she expressed. “Our country is never going to change until people understand the history and are dedicated to not repeating it."

She added, “It’s not something we can do in a year, and it’s definitely not something that will happen in my lifetime, but we can make progress for that."

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