Aboriginal culture part of new school's curriculum

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When Sakewew high school opened its doors for the first time this fall, it provided Aboriginal students in North Battleford with a place where they could learn about Aboriginal culture as well as reading, writing and arithmetic.

The new school was created through a unique partnership between the Battlefords Tribal Council and the local public and Catholic school divisions as a way to provide students with a high quality academic program while incorporating First Nations and Metis culture wherever possible. The three partners joined together to form the Battlefords' Board of Education, the first such partnership in Canada.

Sakewew principal Colin Sutherland believes the school can be successful because it understands the social environment many of the students live within.

"North Battleford has witnessed many First Nations students either dropping out of school or not attend for various reasons. Many students in this school come from varied backgrounds and for some, coming through the doors is a huge challenge within their own lives," Sutherland said. Heading up an Aboriginal school isn't new to Sutherland, who has opened up two other Aboriginal schools across the province in his eight years as a principal.

The new school is located in the former home of the First Nations Technology Institute. At a cost of $680,000, shared between the province and the Battlefords' Board of Education, the school was re-designed to accommodate up to 250 students.

There are currently 227 students--both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal-enrolled in grades 9-12 at the school, with 14 teachers on staff.

While Sakewew becomes the third high school in North Battleford, an area with a population of 15,000, neither the public North Battleford Comprehensive nor the Catholic John Paul II high schools experienced any significant decrease in their student populations this fall.

Sutherland attributes that to the number of Aboriginal students who weren't even in the system, but who now have re-emerged. As the early days of the school year passed, the school continued to increase its population as the word spread about this new academic option.

Although the decision was made to open an Aboriginal school in North Battleford, it doesn't mean the other schools were failing in their academic programs, explained Gloria Mehlmann, director of Aboriginal education at Saskatchewan Learning. It simply means that the traditional school setting might not have been meeting the cultural or social needs of Aboriginal students.

"Other students may be better suited to a school setting that affirms their identity and culture. Students disconnected from their culture need their identity affirmed through other means such as what they are taught about themselves in school," Mehlmann said.

As part of its mandate, Sakewew will incorporate Aboriginal teaching in its subjects while still meeting Saskatchewan Learning guidelines. While certain areas such as music and physical education naturally lend themselves to cultural teaching, other courses too can be designed to reflect First Nations and Metis beliefs.

Recently there has been a push within the province to use Aboriginal literature in teaching both English and history, so texts do exist for Sakewew students to use. But even within a cut-and-dried subject like science, there is room to use Aboriginal tradition.

"Elders can share their knowledge about all that mother earth offers. That may range from food preparation to gathering special plants used for ceremonies and healing agents," Sutherland said.

The academic year at Sakewew has been divided into four semesters, making the school only the third in Saskatchewan to make the shift away from a two-semester system. In this way, students will concentrate on only two subjects at a time for about two months each with one class in the morning and the second in the afternoon.

As Sutherland explained, this method will better suit those students who cannot otherwie devote full time to their studies.

"This will insure the success of transient students and it provides the opportunity to fully put their efforts into two classes rather than multiple subjects," he said.

The four semester system should also improve student attendance, he added, because, with each subject being taught over such a short period of time, the amount of information a student would miss out on by not attending even one class would be substantial.

In addition to meeting the academic and cultural requirements of its students, Sakewew has taken further steps to prevent them from falling through the cracks of the education system by helping students with any personal problems that may arise during the year, Sutherland explained.

"What sets this school apart from other schools in the province is that we have a full time community liaison representing Social Services to meet with students whenever a personal crisis develops," he said.

Starting in the New Year, the school will also add a day-care and begin providing transportation to assist students who also have parental duties.

Sutherland dispels the notion that a school designed predominantly for Aboriginal students will shelter those students from the outside world. Instead, he explained, this institution will nurture young talent, giving them the tools they need to succeed anywhere.

"When they will attend any post-secondary institution across North America, they will be able to compete in a career as would their fellow citizens from other schools," he said.