It鈥檚 9 a.m. and there鈥檚 a hush in Stawamus Elementary.聽
At the end of the hall, in the T鈥橩aya class (the Skwxwu7mesh word for wolf), nine-year-old Talise Chapelle has rung the chime to get the Grade 4 to 6s鈥� attention. Today she鈥檚 stepping into the role of class instructor. With the help of her teacher, Naomi Radawiec, Chapelle created an itinerary and lessons for her big day.聽
鈥淚 am nervous and excited,鈥� she openly admits as the class gathers round.
Before the activities get underway, as with every day, the students sit down on the round red, green and blue mat in the centre of the room for morning circle. It鈥檚 a time of sharing to check in on the students鈥� wellbeing. The routine also hints to the school鈥檚 bigger picture and its ties to the 麻豆社国产Nation culture.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 sharing question is 鈥榳hat do you want to be when you get older,鈥欌�� Chapelle says.聽
鈥淵ounger,鈥� someone cheekily blurts out.聽
鈥淎 genetic engineer or a game designer鈥� or a teacher,鈥� Eliott Smallwood says, as the question reaches him. 鈥淥ne of those, I still have a lot of time to choose.鈥�
The small gaggle reveals there may be future chefs, an actress, graphic designer and more game designers in their midst. They鈥檙e the kind of answers one would expect to hear in a classroom.聽
But the visionary behind the unique program in which they are enrolled has greater aspirations for them. These students are a part of a new Canada, Joy Joseph-McCullough says, one in which citizens have a true understanding and appreciation for the history and culture of the country鈥檚 original inhabitants.聽
鈥淲e are creating citizens of Canada to be like no other before them,鈥� says Joseph-McCullough, the education coordinator for the 麻豆社国产Nation. 鈥淚 like to say we are re-filling the cup, pouring back into it a history and culture that was wiped away with years of residential schools.鈥�
Two years ago, when the school鈥檚 declining enrollment threatened to close its doors, Joseph-McCullough and Susan Leslie, the Sea to Sky district鈥檚 principal of Aboriginal Education, were instrumental in hatching a plan. A collaborative process between the Stawamus Elementary PAC, 麻豆社国产Nation and school district helped shape a proposal 鈥� Cultural Journeys. It not only saved the school, but also started a cutting-edge education system in which 麻豆社国产Nation ways of knowing and appreciation for the land are weaved throughout the curriculum.聽
鈥淚 believe in this program,鈥� Joseph-McCullough says, noting in the beginning parents questioned whether students would fall behind with the break from traditional, teacher-oriented, lecture-style education. 鈥淚t gives me hope. I have watched the students become leaders.鈥�
In Cultural Journeys, the kindergarten to Grade 6 classes are guided by the principle that all learning is grounded in understanding the connected relationship of language, land and culture. The program uses a combination of outdoor activities, field studies, trips and instructional strategies to support students in developing competencies. Grade 7 to 12 students can continue their education in the school through Learning Expeditions 鈥� a connected project-based program that emphasizes inquiry and the use of technology.聽
While Cultural Journeys has caught the attention of education professionals across the country, it鈥檚 the buzz it has created in town that caught McCullough off-guard.聽
麻豆社国产Nation members have shared their time, expertise and experiences with students. School district staff have shown a keen sense of acceptance and openness to learn and work with the Nation to deliver aboriginals ways of knowing in the curriculum, Joseph-McCullough adds.聽
鈥淚t was really scary for them (the instructors) in the beginning because they were teaching something they didn鈥檛 know about,鈥� Joseph-McCullough says, noting the teachers had to learn about a 鈥渨ay of being.鈥�
A large chunk of the pupils enrolled in Cultural Journeys are non-aboriginal. Heidi Schimpl鈥檚 son and daughter are among that group.聽
The program checks all the boxes on her list 鈥� small class-sizes, one-on-one support, lots of outdoor time, project-based learning and encouragement of individual inquiry.聽
The cultural aspect applies a further level of understanding, Schimpl says. The school has a deep sense of community, with parents and relatives invited to quarterly potlaches.
鈥淚t has exposed my son and daughter to something they weren鈥檛 maybe exposed to before,鈥� she says, noting on family hikes they will point out plants and their uses. 鈥淭hey seem more grounded.鈥�
A sense of place
Grounding students in learning that centers on the place they live in has proven beneficial, no matter the student鈥檚 background, Grade4/6 teacher Naomi Radawiec says. As a society, people are becoming increasingly separate from the natural world, disconnected from place and from each other, she adds.聽
Last summer Radawiec completed a thesis for a Masters of Educational Leadership at Vancouver Island University that focused on place-based learning. The teaching method can help reconnect children with the world and communities around them, she says.聽
鈥淣ot only may this benefit each individual learner as they connect with these places, but also help society as we encourage a culture of contributing citizens.鈥�
Cultural Journeys wraps B.C.鈥檚 basic curriculum in a nurturing package, School District 48 superintendent Lisa McCullough says.聽
For example, students take their math class outside, learning about angles by spotting them in nature 鈥� obtuse angles of two branches, the acute angle in a river.聽
It鈥檚 all there, intertwined in Skwxwu7mesh land sites. One of the most exciting outcomes of the program has been the connections and support between students from different age groups, she notes.
鈥淚t is common to see much older children supporting younger students in their learning or working on things together,鈥� McCullough says. 鈥淵ounger students are very often teaching much older students about cool ideas and thinking.鈥�
Currently 49 students are enrolled in Cultural Journeys. As enrolment increases, the program continues to evolve into a model for placed-based and inquiry-based learning, where students develop relationships, honour connections to each other, the community, language and land, McCullough says.聽
鈥淐ultural Journeys is a program of choice, which are becoming increasingly popular province-wide because of the 鈥榲oice-and-choice鈥� they afford students.鈥�
Back in the classroom, Chapelle is directing art class. Students hunch over their desks, busy designing wolves using traditional 麻豆社国产Nation symbols.聽
Charlene Joseph, the class鈥檚 culture and language teacher, encourages William Isbister as he finishes his second drawing.聽
For the past 11 years Joseph has taught 麻豆社国产Nation culture and language in the school district.聽
Before the creation of Cultural Journeys, the district鈥檚 three cultural and language workers divided their time between the schools, giving students no more than a few weeks of 麻豆社国产Nation learning in the school year. 聽
Cultural Journeys is a dream come true, Joseph says.聽
鈥淔or myself, this is a giant step in the right direction for reconciliation,鈥� she adds. 鈥淎s Justice Murray Sinclair says, 鈥榠t was education that got us into this mess and it is education that is going to get us out.鈥欌��
With the art section over, Chapelle moves onto teaching her classmates how to play chess. They pair up and file away into different corners of the classroom.聽
Ten-year-old Aidan Willmot scans the board with a friend. He started the school a few weeks ago, but already fits right in.聽
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 good for me,鈥� he says in a grownup, matter-of-fact tone. 鈥淚 think you have more privileges here.鈥�
Besides the dedicated reading time, Willmot says he enjoys the Thursday hikes and Wednesdays鈥� 鈥渕ake something鈥� workshops. The class recently made butter in a jar. It was tough, Willmot says, noting it required a lot of shaking.聽
鈥淭he days feel shorter here.鈥�
