Another first for education trailblazer

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DeDe DeRose was the first Aboriginal principal in the Kamloops school district, and she is now the first recipient of the Teacher Education Award from the Association of B.C. Deans of Education.

"DeDe DeRose has done outstanding work in supporting and promoting teacher education at the school level," Harro Van Brumelen, dean of Education at Trinity Western University and chair of the Association of B.C. Deans of Education said in a press release.

"As the first Aboriginal principal in the Kamloops school district, she has been an exemplary mentor and inspiring role model for Aboriginal student teachers," said Van Brummelen.

The Teacher Education Award is given to a school administrator and/or teacher who has shown outstanding service in working with university teacher programs to prepare the next generation of teachers.

DeRose was nominated for the award by Dr. Jo-ann Archibald, associate professor in the faculty of education at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and Jackie Agostinis, acting director of the Native Indian Teacher Education Program (NITEP) at UBC.

DeRose has made significant contributions to the NITEP at UBC for over 10 years.

DeDe DeRose is a member and co-chair of the First Nations Education Council. The council oversees NITEP, which is a bachelor of education degree program for Aboriginal students.

NITEP celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2004 and it has had more than 300 graduates.

DeRose serves at a provincial level as a member of the Council of B.C. College of Teachers and the B.C. Principals and Vice-principals Association. She also serves as a member of the steering committee for a B.C. Ministry of Education research study on B.C. teachers of Aboriginal ancestry.

DeRose was born in Williams Lake and is a member of the Alkali Lake band or what is now called the Esketemc First Nation, one of the 17 bands in the Secwepemc or Shuswap Nation.

DeRose is the oldest of six children and grew up in rural areas of the Chilcoutin region of interior B.C. She attended one-room schools until she got to high school. Today she is a single mother of two grown sons, both of whom compete on the rodeo circuit.

One of DeRose's first jobs was as a teacher of English as a second language in a residential school.

"I have always wanted to be a teacher because I enjoy working with children," said DeRose.

DeRose entered a beauty pageant at a rodeo and was recruited into NITEP in 1976 by one of the pageant judges, Liz Robertson, who was also the co-ordinator for NITEP. She joined the program because she was able to complete her first two years in Williams Lake before moving to Vancouver and UBC.

"I never would have gone into teaching if it wasn't for that opportunity," said DeRose.

She graduated from NITEP in 1981 and at that time there were only 38 graduates to date and very few Aboriginal teachers in the province.

DeRose started teaching at public schools in Williams Lake and Kamloops.

In 1993 DeRose completed a master's degree from the UBC educational administration and Ts''kel graduate program, joining a very small elite of Aboriginal people with a masters degree.

After teaching for many years, she became the principal of Ske'lep School of Excellence in Kamloops, and is currently the principal of Westside elementary school, also in Kamloops.

During her education career, DeRose has strongly advocated for the inclusion of the Secwepemc language in school curriculums, and she implemented instruction in the language at Ralph Bell elementary school.

In her current leadership role, DeRose has ensured that in-service workshops about Aboriginal education are provided for teachers in order to sensitize them to the importance of understanding historical, social, political and economic issues facing students and their families.

She also promotes the need to have Aboriginal people working in schools at all levels of the education system in Kamloops.

The Teher Education Award was presented at a panel discussion on student assessment and the improvement of education hosted by Trinity Western University's School of Education. The panel discussion concluded a provincial roundtable conference on teacher education and was attended by representatives of B.C.'s eight approved teacher education programs.