A professional development day was made educational as staff, trustees, and the Indigenous Education Advisory Committee members participated in Cultural Awareness and Appreciation sessions aimed at providing more understanding of Indigenous education and history.
The Superior North Catholic District School Board held their fifth annual Indigenous Education professional development day last month.
Throughout the day, staff, trustees, and the Indigenous Education Advisory Committee members participated in their respective schools or virtually, in Cultural Awareness and Appreciation sessions. It represented the implementation of their multi-year Strategic Plan.
SNCDSB’s Indigenous lead Colleen Sheriff highlighted the session’s goals.
The goals were directed at supporting an understanding of Indigenous education and history; while helping Board staff learn and then teach it in their classrooms.
Sheriff indicated that the intention of the planned P.D. Day was also, “to continue to develop our cultural awareness and appreciation when engaging in Indigenous knowledge to inform our individual and collective next steps.”
She also stated that the day “focused on cultural awareness and capacity building and Canadian Indigenous history for staff with emphasis on local impacts”.
The day was co- facilitated by Sheriff and superintendent of education Paul Tsekouras.
The sessions began with a smudge, opening prayer and song by trustee Judy Wawia and Marilyn Netemegesic.
Betty-Jane Mercier, Principal of St. Edward Catholic School, led the Land Acknowledgement; while opening messages were shared by trustee Judy Wawia and director of education Maria Vasanelli.
The day’s sessions also included hearing from local community members who are active in the Board’s schools and who shared their personal experiences with residential schools.
Sheriff shared a quote from the Honourable Murray Sinclair who said, “education is the key to reconciliation;” which she indicated is the reason behind each of them as educators working together during their Indigenous Education professional development day, to learn about the history of Indigenous Peoples, European Colonialism, and Treaties.
She added that this too is the reason behind their effort to include Indigenous language and culture in their classrooms and building relationships with their Indigenous partners.
The Board’s Indigenous Education Lead, that this training was meant to complement their previous Indigenous Education P.D. Day held April 23, 2021 during which all Board staff received the Take Action for Reconciliation (Scholastic series) digital and print form resources for Grades 3 to 8. Collen Sheriff commented by saying, “these resources and the training staff received over both days will continue to inform school and system planning as we all move towards Truth and Reconciliation.
