Students, teachers have good time on the land
Fish camp comes before classrooms
Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Monday, September 19, 2016
TSIIGEHTCHIC/ARCTIC RED RIVER
Nicole Norman now knows which berries growing in and around Tsiigehtchic are safe to eat, thanks to a special series of on-the-land events at Chief Paul Niditchie School the week of Sept. 1.
Jody Benoit-Cardinal, Grade 8 student at Chief Paul Niditchie School in Tsiigehtchic, enjoys lunch during a day at a Mackenzie River fish camp on Sept. 1. - Photo courtesy of Sonia Gregory |
"We learned which berries you could eat and which berries you can't eat," the Grade 7 student said.
Elders Irene Kendo and Greta Villebrun volunteered to teach students and staff about traditional plants during an outing on Sept. 2, said principal Sonia Gregory.
On Sept. 1, they participated in a fish camp on the Mackenzie River where they learned how to make dry fish.
Gregory said the goal for both activities was to give students and staff a chance to bond, as well as allowing students to demonstrate their traditional skills and knowledge.
"Right at the start of the year, we wanted to have an opportunity for our students and our teachers to kind of spend some time building relationships," she said.
"We wanted to have a chance for our students to really be highlighting all those traditional skills that they're really strong at and kind of giving them the opportunity to sort of teach the teachers. So really empowering them at the start of the year."
Spending time outdoors together improves everything from how students bond with teachers to attendance throughout the school year, Gregory added.
"I just believe really strongly that helping to develop those relationships right away really leads to improved learning and attendance and everything once we actually get into the classroom, rather than starting in desks and starting that way," she said.
Lessons learned on the land are then reinforced through other subjects, such as science and expository writing.
"They've been writing about those experiences about things they learned and the things they had to do to prepare to go out there," Gregory said.
"We're able to kind of use those things we observed in the plants as we're starting off our science unit."
Jody Benoit-Cardinal, Grade 8, said learning about - and then eating - berries at the Tsiigehtchic Community Camp was his favourite part of the day.
"They're good for making jam," he said.
He also learned about a variety of uses for moss.
"You can use the moss for cleaning dishes," he said.
Gregory said she would like to thank the volunteers who helped with the activities, especially Villebrun and Kendo.
