Aboriginal family school to open

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The Calgary Board of Education's commitment to all its students has led the city's public education providers to offer a different approach to Aboriginal schooling beginning this September.

The new school year will see the doors open on a kindergarten to Grade 6 Aboriginal family school in the northeast part of the city.

"This is one way of better meeting the needs of Aboriginal students, whose needs aren't being met as well as they might in mainstream programming," said Kally Krylly, a system co-ordinator for program renewal for the board.

A year ago this May, the board of education adopted an Aboriginal Education policy. The purpose of the policy was to "improve the success rate of Aboriginal students and to increase the understanding and acceptance of Aboriginal cultures for all students."

In 1979, the CBE started operating the Plains Indian Cultural Survival school. However, declining enrolment and lack of support from the Aboriginal community over the last few years has not only lead to the board's decision to close the school at the end of the 2002 school year, but to approach Aboriginal education in a different way.

That different approach will be based on a study carried out by Irene LaPierre, who will serve as principal for the new Aboriginal school.

"It was time for our system to revisit Aboriginal education, " said LaPierre.

In September and October of last year, LaPierre held 15 meetings, consulting with youngsters, adults and Elders in the Aboriginal community.

"We wanted to see what type of school they would support and what type of school would best suit their needs," said LaPierre.

The concept developed will see education that is not only culturally, linguistically, and traditionally based, but education that is all encompassing.

While children take classes, their parents will also be taking classes in such areas as parenting and language. While children work with technology, social agencies will be working within the school and networking with the parents.

A common concern voiced by parents, said LaPierre, was the inability to help their children because they themselves didn't have the education or weren't steeped in the culture.

"A lot of urban Aboriginals are disconnected from the traditions," said LaPierre.

While parents want to see a kindergarten to Grade 12 school offered, the thought was to start with the younger children and "immerse them into their language, their culture, their ceremonies. Why wait until they're 13 years old and at risk?"

Curriculum will be built on culture. Most Aboriginal curriculum exists at the junior and senior high level, so staff will have to develop elementary curriculum that follows Alberta Education's guidelines.

LaPierre anticipates producing full Aboriginal content curriculum will be a three-year outcome. Adult programming is to begin in January 2003 and the United Way has committed funding to this aspect of the school.

A site has yet to be chosen for the school. LaPierre anticipates the first year of operation will be in shared space. She is confident the second year will see the new school get its own site and then be able to offer space to agencies. The school will be situated in the northeast part of Calgary as that is where the largest Aboriginal population is located.

The school has yet to be named and that will be done through consultation with the urban Aborginal population, as well as the Stoney and Tsuu Tina reserves, which lie on the city's outskirts.

Funding for the school, which will take at least $1 million to operate, is not yet in place.

Chief Superintendent Brendan Croskery has given his full support to the project, said Krylly, including committing personally to lobbying for the funds.

The school will be opening its doors Sept. 3.

"I'm excited about it," said LaPierre, "but it's important that people know it's going to be a process, that it'll take us time to get to the point where we want to be."