KITCHENUHMAYKOOSIB INNINUWUG FIRST NATION — A new kindergarten through Grade 12 school is providing new opportunities for students in a northern community.
Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation’s Aglace Chapman Education Centre’s new K-12 school provides children with educational opportunities beyond the core subjects of reading, writing, and math. The new school was built with a functional woodshop, culinary class, and electoral.
Additionally, the new school expanded their capacity which will allow students to stay within the community until their high school graduation.
"The new school feels like a fresh start for everyone in the community. Especially, the high schoolers. I feel more motivated to come to school and I think everyone feels that way,” said student Lala Paishic.
In 2019, Indigenous Services of Canada provided $42 million in funding for the new school to be built by 2021. However, because of supply shortages caused by the COVID pandemic, the school wasn’t finished until the fall of 2022.
In February, students were allowed to enter the new school for the first time.
According to principal Roy Wagner, moving from the old school to the new school was no easy feat, as there were no moving trucks available.
“It took us about a month because the teaching staff and the school staff were responsible for moving everything over. We didn’t have moving trucks. We used regular pickup trucks. It took us four weeks. We were comfortably ready to go by Feb 6.,” said Wagner.
Wagner the first few days weren’t without their hiccups; however, he believes the students and staff are transitioning well to their new surroundings.
“It’s definitely better than what we are used to,” said Wagner. “I am glad we are in here now. The biggest transition is we couldn’t have teacherages built out here right away. We have some, but many teachers have had to remain by the old school, so we have a carpooling system in place and the KEA bought new trucks.”
Although the K.I. community is remote, the community isn’t small. With a population of 1200, the distance between the old school and the new facility is a lengthy drive where most students will need to take the bus.
Chief Donny Morris said that the new school does not prevent youth from leaving the remote community to attend grades 11 and 12 elsewhere, but “it gives us the luxury to keep our kids an extra two years rather than sending them out at 14.”
Morris said the grades 11 and 12 classes are still being developed, but by the next school year, those grades will be fully operational, which means that youth in Grade 10 will move on to Grade 11 in their current school.
Wagner believes that implementing Grade 11 classes next fall would be a smooth transition for the students.
“It never sat well with me seeing Grade 11s travel south on their own,” said Wagner. “Especially, Grade 11s who have never lived in an urban area.”
The addition of grades 11 and 12 in the community will allow students more time to mature as they prepare to transition to the wider world.
For Morris, the additional trade and technology classes will provide their youths with more experience in those fields. Therefore, when the time comes to leave the community, they are equipped to expand their knowledge in post-secondary school or begin working in a trade.
“It will give them more of a trades environment when they go to school,” said Morris.
