Ben Calf Robe asks for help

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At a public forum on Native Education on Feb. 11 the Ben Calf Robe Society asked for more help from the community and the parents of students in this program. Though extending from Grade 4 to 9 this year, there is a real danger that the program could be shortened to take only the three higher grade in the future. This would be a regressive step, as these three grades were the total of the program in the 1980's.

The Ben Calf Robe Centre, at St. Catherine's School on 11833- 64 Street, has been in existence for some 16 years and has provided a link to the traditional way of life for many Aboriginal youngsters who live in an urban setting.

To have to wait until Grade 7 before being able to participate in such a program would seem to be retrograde, since the early years of learning are seen by many to be of supreme importance.

A panel, including a former superintendent of Edmonton Catholic Schools John Brosseau, as well as Terry Fortin, the present superintendent, reassured attendees that Ben Calf Robe was not in danger of disappearing. There were, however, many calls for more participation on the part of the parents.

In a program of this nature, this participation is essential. This was reiterated by another panelist, Jonathan Jagt, who attended Ben Calf Robe from 1988 to '91 in Grades 7 through 9.

A lengthy discussion with Jagt revealed his growing sense of malaise and moroseness in the years leading up to grade 7. Support from his parents and I lengthy search for a suitable replacement for the regular school program lead them to Ben Calf Robe.

There, the smaller classes and the greater emphasis upon links to the Aboriginal culture allowed Jagt to grow in his own direction- he initiated a radio program for the students and became much more comfortable with this ancestral identity.