November 23, 2022 (Smiths Falls, ON) – Indigenous Education has been a focus at Montague Public School this month, and they recently completed their week-and-a-half-long Indigenous Celebrations Week with a collaborative singing and dancing workshops.
On the heels of Treaties Recognitions Week, held Nov. 7-11, Montague PS organized three separate hands-on workshops and interactive presentations focused on Indigenous culture and practices for students to partake in unique experiences.
“The school has had cultural advisors and elders visit in the past, however this was the first year that we decided to make Indigenous Education a week-long focus,” says Sheila Cornelisse, the school’s Learning Commons Informationist, co-organizer of the Indigenous events and member of the school’s Indigenous Committee.
On Monday, Nov. 14, the school welcomed Upper Canada District School Board’s Indigenous Education System Support Teacher Bill Montgomery for a presentation on Haida art and culture for Grades 3-6.
Montgomery also spoke with students in Grades 7-8 about the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Cultural advisor Danka Brewer also came to the school on Nov.14 to share stories focused on the Thirteen Moons of the Algonquin Nation to Kindergarten to Grade 2 students. All classes completed a colouring activity and the Grade 1/2s were introduced to beading.
To wrap up the week, Rae-Anna Whiteduck and Maggie Downer from Madahòkì Farm's Indigenous Experiences led an interactive workshop called “Feel the Heartbeat” for students in Grades 2-8.
Together, students learned a response song that was traditionally used for hunters to find their missing community members. They incorporated traditional buffalo horn rattles and a traditional stomp dance into the song for an all-around immersive experience.
The school plans to continue with its Indigenous teaching and learning throughout the year, with their Grade 6 class currently working on land acknowledgements.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Christopher Hannah
Principal
Montague Public School
[email protected]