St. Francis Cree Bilingual School

Leaving the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre, the next stop of our day was the St. Francis Cree Bilingual School.

When walking up to the St. Francis Cree Bilingual School you would just think that it was a normal school. The front of the school has a gated playground area with children all a buzz and the facade of a building that screams ‘school house,’ and upon stepping inside we heard the screeches of children playing in the gym, the chatter of teachers in the hallway, and the liveliness that comes with entering into a school building. We met with the school district’s superintendent Gordon Martell, and we made our way upstairs to a small classroom where we were greeted by many people from around the school. The principal, the assistant principal, staff members, school board members, and parents from the community. After a welcome address and prayer delivered by the school’s Elder, Kohkom Shirley, we had lunch together in the library and were introduced to this school and its mission. Which is to aid in the revitalization of the Cree language and culture. Students travel from almost every neighborhood in the greeted Saskatoon area in order to come and study at St. Francis and it’s easy to see why.

The school holds students accountable for their behavior and actions through the Kohtawan Principles from the Cree Culture and they ask that all students Miyō-Pimōhtēwin (walk in a good way). They combine these principles alongside some of the principles embedded within Catholicism to teach students morals and values. After lunch, we learned a little bit more about the school’s 50/50 model in most grades and some of the things that the school focuses on, such as inquiry-based learning and the focus on teaching about the land.

To see these ideas in action, we took a walk around the school and we were invited to come and visit three classrooms and to see Cree Language lessons. Walking from the natural school building into the expansion of portables, we visited classrooms of students who were reciting words, having guided action-based activities, and even lessons where teachers were having students write words in the Cree language. The teachers were engaging, excited, and clearly proud of the work that they were doing. We were allowed to walk around and ask the students questions or simply observe and while doing so it was also nice to see the smiles not only on the students faces, but the administrators as well - there is clearly a great deal of pride from the leadership in the work being done within their community by their group of passionate teachers.

We made our way back to the library one final time for a few smaller follow-up presentations, which was conducted by the school and district principal concerning the future of the school. In the 2024 school year, there are plans for a new building and after funding efforts had been denied years from the government - we were told about the four parents stepped in and made a difference in the school community.

One of the most powerful moments of this visit was hearing the parent support that lies in this school from the direct source. In education, it is easy for us to feel shy or sometimes even uneasy around parents. This may come from prior experience with a family or someone who we refer to as ‘that parent,’ and sometimes - parents can be very intimidating. Jayce Sutherland was the mother who spoke with us about the experiences she and her family have had since arriving at St. Frances and the power of identity that her children now have. Being from a reservation herself, Jayce shared with us growing up without her language and without her culture due to fear from older generations. She herself felt lost in her identity and since sending her children to St. Francis she is seeing them understanding and speaking Cree better than her. They choose to speak the language on their own, they have a strong understanding of what it means to be indigenous, and she has the school thank for that. How the school has created a powerful community of belonging for her and her family goes beyond the mission of a normal school - and this is something that should be celebrated.

Since our visit, there has been a wonderful announcement made concerning the new school building and the funding they have recently received - please see the video here to find out more!