We began the year with a great start of acknowledging Orange Shirt day. This Acknowledgement is about facing Canada’s negative historic events and abusive relationships with the First Nation people of North America. It was a perfect day for so many of the staff and students to participate in a school wide smudge and to hear Elder Mary Courchene share her own personal experience with residential school and how it has impacted her life. We began Indigenous Cultural Credit with learning the importance of smudging and using the respectful teachings as a way to move throughout our daily lives. The first field trip with Cultural Credit students took place at Wayfinders school’s Circle Garden. They learned the teachings of the circle and the sacred medicines of the garden. The students also learned how to put up a Tipi properly and the stories that go along with that.
As for our second field trip, we took a bus to Pine Point in Whiteshell Provincial Park. West Kildonan Collegiate was partnered up with Garden City Collegiate and we went on the most beautiful hike. It was great to build relationships with the students and the land around us. We were so lucky as a group to have such a beautiful day. This first half of the day was a 6km hike and the second half was taking a hike to the Petroforms (historical rock formations that tell a story). Learning the stories from the Elder on what the Petroforms represented. Our upcoming adventure and participating in the “Sweatlodge Ceremony” in November. Written By: Kristin Erickson, Teacher