Traditional feast, giveaway ensure successful Ponoka Outreach School year

Ponoka Outreach School staff, students and family members were treated to a traditional Cree feast on Oct. 23 at the Jim Omeasoo Cultural Centre.  Community Elders performed a traditional prayer ceremony to seek blessings for the students and their families as well as the school staff to ensure another successful year at the Outreach. Following the prayers, everyone enjoyed a great feast followed by the traditional presentation gifts for every person in attendance, known as a “giveaway.”
“I’m very grateful to the Elders for making this event possible. I appreciate them opening their lives and culture to us. Every year we are grateful to the leaders of the community of Hobbema for sending us their children,” said principal Scott Lewis.

The feast and giveaway were hosted by the school staff as an expression of gratitude to the community of Hobbema for the privilege of working with their children.

 “Events like the feast are a learning experience for the teachers and even the students. If young people don’t learn about their culture, it will be lost when the older generation passes away.  I think there should be more cultural events in school.  It’s awesome that this school is embracing Cree culture,” said Nikki Mackinaw, a grade 11 student, who has been attending Ponoka Outreach for three years.

 “It is important for our school to start off the school year with blessings through a traditional feast. In this way we ensure the proper cultural protocol when working with Cree students,” said Patty Lightning, the school’s Native Student Liaison Worker, who helped organize the feast.

The feast was a collaborative effort to contribute to the cultural life of the school and the community of Hobbema.  Not only did feast food come from school staff, but also Hobbema community members, parents of students past and present as well as their grandparents.

Lightning was pleased with the turn-out. “The teachers were great in showing that they were genuinely interested in participating in the ceremony. This isn’t surprising. Just last year the school staff participated in a sweat in Ermineskin. Most of our staff has worked with Cree students for many years, including living in Native communities.”

The Ponoka Outreach School has proven to be a highly successful alternative for hundreds of young people in Hobbema as well as throughout the Ponoka area.  The school gives young people the opportunity to find success through individualized programs as well as one-to-one instruction.  Students have flexible hours of instruction, flexible attendance, and are able to work at their own pace using modular instructional materials.  About one-third of the student body is First Nations children.

Photo caption: The traditional Cree feast was held at the Jim Omeasoo Cultural Centre on Oct. 23 and was a huge success.