Lakeland school groups hires four Native liaisons

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In a joint effort to promote a better understanding of Native students needs the Lakeland Catholic and Separate School Boards are working together and have already hired four liaison workers.

The hiring of Angelina Boyd, Ernestine Cardinal, Diane Ludwig and Marty Fernie comes as part of the recently announced Native Education Project from Alberta Education.

The workers began their one year tenure Sept. 13 and will be finished in July 1988 and there are possibilities the project could last three years.

The four come with a wealth of experience in Native programs, specifically in child care and were chosen from among 37 applicants.

During a meeting with Henri Lemire, assistant superintendant of the Catholic system, the liaison workers were informed of their duties to the schools and the parents. The priorities are to improve student attendance, achievement and parental involvement in the 17 schools that will be served in the Lakeland area.

Some schools have high enrollments, in particular Cold Lake's ST. Dominic's Catholic School while others such as Cold Lake's Nelson Heights School may have only a handful. But even if there is only one Native student in a school, say workers, they will work to serve his or her needs.

Their immediate task is to identify the numbers of Native children in schools and classify them according to grade and age; identify teachers and administrative contacts and inquire about work spaces in the schools. The four are hopeful each school will be able to provide a private space where student, parent or teacher conferences could be held.

The newly-hired workers are enthusiastic about their jobs and optimistic about the results. The most important thing, they say is that non-Native students will see the workers in the school and seeing them sober, working, involved and qualified in a professional capacity. This, they say, will do more to change perceptions about Native people in general.

"When we went to school," says Cardinal, "we didn't speak a word of English. It was hard for us, there was no help, no understanding of our ways, the little kids had a rough time but now that doesn't have to happen anymore. If these (non-Native) kids see us helping our students perhaps they'll feel comfortable enough later on to ask for help themselves. We certainly aren't limited to Native kids only although that is specifically our job aim."

Diane Ludwig explained another concern. "I didn't speak a work of English either. It was like an alien coming to earth and not knowing how to live as a human or how to speak their language, or what to do if I needed help in school work. We learned to read but we didn't give a darn about Sally and Spot. We couldn't relate to what we were reading."

The four have looked at the recent publications for Alberta schools that focus on the Indian and Metis people. All the books were written by Native people about themselves and are considered a better source of information than the old history or social studies texts.

Angie Boyd, who has experience as a teacher aide, said "a lot of teachers have very little knowledge about what it's like to be a Native family, to be a member of a group living on a reserve or settlement. We've got to go into the mainstream of society to let them know, to give them that information, to describe the differences and similarities so they'll be able to work with our kids in a more realistic manner."