New school opens at Mathias Colomb Cree Nation

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What's a school library without any books?

Phil Cesario and his co-workers at P.M. Associates Ltd. considered the dilemma of the new Sakastew School on Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, and came up with an answer: send the school nine crates of used books, and $3,000 worth of new ones.

P.M. Associates Ltd. is the Winnipeg project management company that oversaw the building of the school in the community, 820 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. After deciding they would put the money they would normally spend on advertising toward a donation for the school, Cesario and his colleagues talked to Mathias Colomb's education director.

"We bought a selection of books from kindergarten to adult, including some books on Native studies. We dealt with McNally Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg," Cesario explains.

The move by P.M. Associates Ltd. soon generated a ripple effect. Staff at Indian and Northern Affairs Canada followed suit with a donation of used books of their own. (While the federal department paid the $16.2 million capital cost of construction, INAC funding did not cover purchase of books.)

And the architectural firm that designed the school, AGB Architect, contributed new toys for the daycare that adjoins the main school building. The $369,200 cost of building the daycare-a first in the community-was funded by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

The school project proved a real exercise not only in bricks and mortar, but also in community building.

"We had weekly consultations during the design stage, questionnaires, and interviews with school staff. It was a very extensive process, including community leaders and Elders," says Cesario.

"During construction of the school especially, we had regular visitors. We were constantly giving tours to parents and kids, and had field trips come from the existing school. At mid-construction, we had an open house and just shut down the site."

In addition to 21 regular classrooms, the school has a range of spaces designed for such uses as science, computer, home economics, business education and industrial arts, and a complete gymnasium. There's also a cultural education classroom, to ensure traditional skills, such as tanning hides, are not lost.

The new building, which can accommodate 640 students from nursery to Grade 12, replaces a mould-plagued collection of trailers that has served as a school for several years.

And when the school bell rang this fall, it marked the first time that students age 13 and over could attend school right in their community - a huge benefit to community cohesiveness, in the eyes of Chief Shirley Castel.

"Until now, we've had to release children at the age of 13 out of the community," Castel explains. "It's an age where it's not good if parents are not there to guide them and provide the authority they need."

And with the new gym, the community is excitedly looking forward to another first - hosting sports teams from other communities like Cranberry Portage, Flin Flon, The Pas, Thompson and Winnipeg.

Mathias Colomb recently held a ceremony to celebrate completion of the school, as well as a new water and sewage treatment system costing $21.6 million. This expenditure, also funded by INAC, means an end to a recurring problem the community has suffered: a range of gastrointestinal illnesses caused by sewage contamination of the water supply. The new infrastructure also extends water hookups to every household in the community.

More than 59,600 hours of work were logged by local people during construction of the school and sewer and water projects. Skills such as carpentry, electrical installation and facilities management were learned first in a classroom situation and then put into action on site.

"With every project brought onto our nation there has to be a training package. We make that a must," says Castel.

Calling the construction phase "very challenging," Castel has praise for "all the contractors and those who've supported our communty to help us get this far."

From P.M. Associates Ltd.'s perspective, Cesario comments that "chief and council were very good to work with, and progressive. The education staff are very dedicated to their students," Cesario adds.