SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Thirty-nine aboriginal graduates out of a possible seventy from Sir John Franklin High School, St. Patrick High School and Aurora College's Yellowknife campus were recognized at the Honour Ceremony for Aboriginal Graduates event at Chief Drygeese Conference Centre in Dettah on June 18 in front of 200 friends, family and supporters.

Jack, left, Katie, and Grant White make up three generations of the White family who came to celebrate Katie's graduation during the Aboriginal Honour Ceremony at the Chief Drygeese Conference Centre in Dettah on June 18. - photo courtesy of Jane Arychuk

Jane Arychuk, organizer for the event, said it is meant to raise the profile of aboriginal graduates.

"We want to honour aboriginal grads and want to recognize there are aboriginal grads. We always hear this message of dropouts and lack of achievement so it is important to recognize their achievement," said Arychuk.

Katie White, a graduate from St. Patrick High School, had multiple generations supporting her at the ceremony including her grandfather Jack White, who came up from Edmonton, as well as her dad, Grant White. Each graduate picked who they received their graduation stole from, which was designed with a mix of different aboriginal heritages. The stole was shaped like a Metis sash, had Dene beading and hung in the back like an Inuit amauti.

"I picked my grandfather to give me the stole because he is aware of where our Metis heritage comes from in my family. He also works with inner city aboriginal high school students in Edmonton," said Katie.

Katie said both her Metis and Polish heritages are an important part of her life.

"It's super important to me. I have participated in the Aboriginal Hockey Championships and also spent a summer studying Polish linguistics at a university in Poland. I have been accepted into the University of Alberta in September and will be majoring in Polish and Ukrainian languages with a minor in Metis Studies," said Katie.

Morgan Francis, originally from Wrigley, graduated from Sir John Franklin High School and had her boyfriend J.C. Ouellette-Landry present her with the stole while three family members cheered her on from the crowd.

"I had J.C. give me the sash because he has really changed my life for the better and we are expecting a baby," said Francis.

Francis thought the bead work on the stole was beautiful and it was something that she would keep forever.

"It is really meaningful that we don't lose our culture. You go into the world, but you don't have to lose your culture. It's a part of who you are," she said.

Francis has some very certain education goals in mind for her future.

"I still have education plans. I want to go to school to become an elementary school teacher," said Francis.

The ceremony started with the graduates being honoured with a drum song, followed by the lighting of the quilliq, the Inuit lamp made from soapstone and oil from blubber or seal, and then the presentation of the stoles. The ceremony ended with a feast for the honorees, their families and friends.

For the first time in its seven year history, the graduation had a second-time honoree, Francis Sinclair. Sinclair was honoured as a graduate from St. Patrick High School in the first honour ceremony and this year, was honoured for graduating from the bachelor of science program in nursing from Aurora College. She is first who graduated from a Yellowknife high school and continued on to graduate from the Aurora College Yellowknife campus.

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