Father Gorman Community School rang in the new year by celebrating Indigenous culture with bannock, dog sleds and outdoor learning on Jan. 9.
The day-long event drew on traditions observed in many northern communities, where the start of the year has historically been marked with dog sled races and gatherings that brought people together on the land.
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Cynthia Young, Indigenous program co-ordinator with the Lloydminster Catholic School Division, said the goal was to give students hands-on exposure to cultural practices and history.
“We really want to make sure we expose our students to any cultural aspect we can,” Young said.
The school partnered with Métis Local 18 to bring in sled dogs, a first for the event, and offered bannock on a stick, hot chocolate and other activities for students rotating outside throughout the day.
“We were lucky to partner with the local Métis 18 and were able to get the dogs in,” Young said. “The idea was to have a good day outside in the cold, like it used to be.”
Young said students learned about traditional dog sledding and its role as a primary mode of transportation before modern vehicles.
“That’s what we want our students to have — a good base, a good root of what it means to be cultural,” she said.
Young hopes students will take those experiences home with them.
“I hope they tell their parents they ate bannock and jam, had hot chocolate and had a great time outside on the land with the dogs,” she said. “That’s the big thing … it’s on the land with the dogs.”
She said hands-on learning helps deepen students’ understanding of Indigenous culture and reconciliation.
“When our students can participate in hands-on activities, they have that knowledge,” Young said. “You want to plant the seed so next year, if they want to do bannock on a stick, they can do it with their families.”
About 20 classes took part in the outdoor activities between 8:30 a.m. and 3:05 p.m., with students cycling through the experience.
“The kids have been loving the dogs and going sledding,” Young said. “You can hear them screaming as they go along the school grounds.”
Principal Zoey Hein said the excitement had been building all week.
“Today is so exciting,” Hein said. “The kids have been excited all week, but now the teachers can see the dogs and the fire going. It just brings it to the next level.”
Hein said the school incorporates Indigenous learning throughout the year, but seeing history in action made the lessons more meaningful.
“We focus on the land acknowledgement every day,” she said. “But being able to see history in motion — things we used to do before automobiles and that are still part of Métis culture — is great.”
In addition to outdoor activities, classrooms hosted Métis-focused lessons, including song and dance, cultural teachings and research projects tied to land acknowledgements. “The kids are just so excited to be outside learning,” Hein said. “It helps spark a passion for being on the land. Having a beautiful day doesn’t hurt, either.”
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