Name the new public school in Lloyd

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The ground has been leveled, the roads laid out, and the first stages of construction are about to begin for a brand new elementary school in Lloydminster.

What the city will have is a new $6 million school complex that will serve the community well and that Lloydminster can be proud of for many years to come, said Dr. Don Duncan, director of education. It will be a "new school that will be welcoming and supportive of all the education plans we foresee in the future."

And except for some last minute fine-tuning of the blueprints and the final decision on the official name for the new school, Duncan is expecting clear sailing for the grand opening that will take place in September 2000.

Lloydminster's board of education has asked the community to offer suggestions for a new name for a school. The board is hoping the name would be significant in the Lloydminster context and provide a strong message and motivation for all those who subsequently attend and work at the school, Duncan said.

The new school is being built to serve the needs of families living on the eastern Saskatchewan side of town, in an area with the highest concentration of First Nations peoples, both Aboriginal and Metis, living in Lloydminster.

And for the very first time in the history of the city, there is a real possibility that the name of a new school could reflect both the culture and spirituality of Aboriginal people who have been living here for more than 20,000 years.

Dr. Duncan called the idea of an Aboriginal name for the new school, a "legitimate suggestion" and added that "it is critical that children do see their culture reflected in the schools, something that gives a sense of connectiveness to the history of the people and the community."

Much has been told of the help and support given to the early English settlers in this region by First Nations people, explained local historian and writer Keith Davison

"For raw Englishmen to survive in this climate, they would have needed lots of help, someone to show them how to catch rabbits. They got that help from First Nations people who were expert trappers, hunters and guides and who for instance, showed them how to cut and transport the huge logs for the building of the original Lloydminster church, still standing today," he said.

"The idea of using a prominent First Nations personage to honor in the name of this new school is a wonderful concept. It would do much to instill pride in the past and a sense of hope for all the students who attend the new school," Davidson said.

"Fortunately, our area has been blessed in the fact that we have many First Nations people in our past who have contributed positively and heroically to our history," he said.

Davidson, who has completed original and comprehensive research into the Northwest Rebellion, suggested several possibilities for names of prominent First Nations people in the region, including Toussaint Calling Bull of Band 120, Frog Lake Chief Seekaskootch, also known as Cut Arm of Band 119, and Onion Lake leader Big Bear, Mistihai Muskwa.

Another First Nations person, important in the field of education, was Charles Quinney of Onion Lake who started the very first schools at Frog Lake, said Davidson.

It is ironic that, in light of the fact that Aboriginal people have made significant contributions to the establishment and building of Lloydminster, there is not a single public building or school within either the public or Catholic systems that has been named after a person of Aboriginal descent.

A number of non-Aboriginal men and their families have been honored, along with several Catholic saints, one English queen and one English prime minister, in the naming of public buildings and facilities.

The idea of naming a new school, which will have a population of about 35 per cent Aboriginal students, according to Neville Goss Principal Bill Hanson, after an important First Nations leader, hero or role model, is brand new.

"The asociation between one's heritage and the pride that comes with a connection across the ages is an important part of personal well-being and identity," said James McAra, executive director of the Lloydminster Native Friendship Centre.

"For Aboriginal youth in the urban educational environment, traditional values and knowledge are an important part of their life. The naming of a school is a display of respect for tradition, and becomes a significant public display of culturally relevant persons or events. This will add a tremendous amount of validity to a young person's growth and potential."

To date, said Duncan, the board has received a number of new name suggestions (a public forum is open until Oct. 15) and as a whole, the board will sit down and review the suggestions.

When four Aboriginal students in Grades 3 and 4 who will be attending the new school were asked by their principal, Bill Hanson, how they would feel about going to a school named after someone from their Native culture, they said that it would make them feel proud, very good and help them to remember someone famous they knew.

Mikie Thunderchild, a great-great-grandson of Chief Thunderchild, said he would be happy to see the new school named after his famous ancestor.