At our recent 7 Oaks Graduation Pow Wow, close to 2000 people gathered at the Garden City Soccer Plex to celebrate with grads from WK and around the school division. This strength based way of working at reconciliation featured dancers, drummers, fiddlers and jiggers from a wide variety of cultures, an experience that mirrors what we are endeavouring to do in our schools. Like a pow wow, WK is a place where diverse students come together to learn to live, work and celebrate their uniqueness in the world. Expressions of student learning are a mixed dance of projects, tests, exhibitions, performances, service, artistic creation and technical demonstrations. Like the pow wow drum, our school’s routines provide structure to our days and a rhythm to our working together. And just as our nation learns about its past and strives to improve opportunities for all in this dance we call life, so WK works at being inclusive, a place where all students excel and families participate in demonstrations of their learning and excellence.

      While 25 WK Grads joined the celebration, 30 or more of our student leaders from our Indigenous People’s course, our cultural credit group, our Civics Leadership Class and SLAM(Sustainable Living Academy Manitoba) helped set up the Pow Wow under the guidance of Mrs Erikson, Mrs Harder, Mrs Eckton and Mr Krahn. WK has become the set up gurus, efficiently working with the Pow Wow coordinators to create a wonderful atmosphere for feasting, dancing and drumming, and honouring our grads. More than 700 participants joined the Grand Entry at field level featuring dignitaries, Pow Wow Club dancers from all of our early and middle years schools(+-400), Pow Wow community members and grads. The feast food was great, prepared by our own 7 Oaks Culinary Arts Program. Special performances by our own Ivan Flett Memorial Dancers- Mikey, Cienna and Jacob Harris-Settee- set the tone for a great evening. An Electric Pow Wow group from Maples along with fiddlers and lacrosse players rounded out an evening of traditional Pow Wow music and dance accompanied by special performances that wowed the audience. Join us next year. It’s a great way to experience a wonderFULL Indigenous ceremony. First Thursday of June at the Garden City Soccer Plex. Miigwech to all who helped!