Indigenous Learning & Culture

<p class="editor-paragraph"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Kenthen Thomas was an amazing storyteller whose words could immediately pull listeners into another place and time. He has a rare gift for making every character feel alive, blending humor, emotion, and wisdom with natural ease. His stories didn’t just entertain—they connected people, sparking laughter, reflection, and shared understanding. Thank you Kenthen for sharing with our students.</span></p><table class="editor-table" style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col style="width: 50%;"><col style="width: 50%;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245);"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/eeb76704-b1f4-4459-95da-a3cf3d586c3a?fingerprint=ppb20260506221052" alt="Culture through Storytelling" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245);"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/b04462ab-91a1-4f1f-90d6-d752fedb47e2?fingerprint=ppb20260506221052" alt="Culture through Storytelling 2" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Chilcotin Road students enjoyed a fire pit on World Read Aloud Day February 4th. Instead of read aloud we turned it into oral story telling lead by teacher Linda Jack. Linda writes "Usually the Gwenɨg (Oral Story Telling) is in the ʔelhʔi (evening) by the Camp Fire. All is done in the evening and a lot of the stories will be repeated. Some may have a bit more details, depending on the storyteller on what they want you to remember. These stories are never written anywhere, and each have a strong message to each individual". What an amazing day!</span></p><table class="editor-table"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/062f07f5-d51d-448b-938f-413fd800ddc2?fingerprint=ppb20260306035650" alt="Oral Story Telling doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/187f152f-d983-4189-8d21-45e1769b6d59?fingerprint=ppb20260306035649" alt="Oral Story Tellying 2 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Dancing Water Sandy and Freda Alphonse came to Chilcotin Road to make some traditional tea with the grade 3 students. Dried ingredients were brought for a sleepy time tea and a cough and cold tea. The ingredients were gathered and dried by local Indigenous people and Dancing Water imparted on the students the importance of having an open mind and positive heart when gathering the ingredients and when making the tea. We should always have positive intentions when interacting with nature and be thankful for the gifts nature gives us.</span></p><table class="editor-table"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/c2de0b0a-1907-48b3-8815-65803489b490?fingerprint=ppb20260216202343" alt="Time for Tea1 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/5f91eaa4-781b-4851-8ff5-54ad4f0e1503?fingerprint=ppb20260216202343" alt="Time for Tea2 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Project is talking sticks. The goal is to be only one talking and everyone else is listening respectfully. Thank you Ms. Charley for leading the learning and building talking sticks with our students.</span></p><table class="editor-table"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/17d8459e-683e-4473-8643-6134ff218276?fingerprint=ppb20260204052521" alt="Everybody has a chance1 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/ae5366e5-13fd-45e2-ba7f-872ee3afecc8?fingerprint=ppb20260204052521" alt="Everybody has a chance2 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In Shuswap class, we are busy painting talking sticks. Students first gathered the sticks in the forest then brought them into the class and readied them for painting. Thank you Ms. Charley for teaching us about the importance of Talking Sticks.</span></p><table class="editor-table"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/c24c9f91-b458-4849-a8c9-9c96c009024f?fingerprint=ppb20251217040205" alt="Talking Sticks1 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/68306cb0-3fb9-4673-977e-671f9a4c098b?fingerprint=ppb20251217034128" alt="Talking Sticks2 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In our entrance we created a beautiful showcase. Students and parents, that come through the doors and walk the halls, often stop and marvel at the beautiful display. Creating a sense of belonging is very important to our Chilcotin Family.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/8b6ab96e-dffc-4eda-a28f-d962bb701afe?fingerprint=ppb20251217034631" alt="IMG 3640 doug brown" width="435" height="579" style="width:435px;height:579px;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">While all of our grade 4-6 students were at the park celebrating the meaning behind orange shirt, our k-3 stayed behind and engaged in a full day of learning and crafting. The theme, YOU MATTER. It all started with an assembly. The book "Every Child Matters"(Phyllis Webstad) and "Be a Good Ancestor" ( Leona Prince) were read to the students. </span></p><table class="editor-table"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/e8928576-fae7-429a-8e43-a09d7b10f2d0?fingerprint=ppb20260310035038" alt="Every Child Matters1 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/2ad5fe67-f6d7-44d8-b386-a0af27a84cf7?fingerprint=ppb20260310035038" alt="Every Child Matters2 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">100 students in Grade 4-6 went down to the Park to participate in a wonderful day of learning. Thank you to all the organizers for their hard work in making this day a very memorable day for all.</span></p><table class="editor-table"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/fc1d2470-f4e8-458a-b339-0bb3e5b91786?fingerprint=ppb20260310035417" alt="Every Child Matters2" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/e92688fc-28aa-414f-8cb3-3a5bc16049b9?fingerprint=ppb20260310035418" alt="Every Child Matters1" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Dancing Water took my staff on a cultural interpretive walk. We learned about traditional food and medicine right in our back yard. The goal now is to take our learning and teach it in the classroom.</span></p><table class="editor-table"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/bfd03dbf-4097-4ba9-aa31-075e5cd5f725?fingerprint=ppb20260218220739" alt="Cultural Interpretive Walk2 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/01cc2c84-7589-4228-9aba-b438370206e2?fingerprint=ppb20260218220739" alt="Cultural Interpretive Walk1 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Not only was it Pink shirt day but we were also fortunate to have Chief Willie Sellars come and share his new book with us! Students sat, listened to Dipnetting with Dad and Hockey with Dad. What a fun way to learn about Culture and Family.</span></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/d6e6972e-af97-48a2-a772-9faf989b13fd?fingerprint=ppb20251217040323" alt="Storytime with Chief Willie Sellars" width="701" height="462" style="width:701px;height:462px;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Blaine Grinder from Tŝilhqot’in National Government (TNG) came to talk with ALL of our students today about respectful and Traditional Hunting practices. The students had good questions and Blaine brought some excellent furs for the students to look at. This month we have been focusing on Respect, one of the sacred teachings. Blaine showed the students how to be respectful and treat the animal with respect while hunting.</span></p><div data-lexical-layout-container="true" style="grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; display: grid;"><div class="editor-layoutItem"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/7c73aa51-4930-5c0b-b200-947ab7a458f7?fingerprint=ppb20251217034541" alt="kwufivbc.jpg" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit"></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p></div><div class="editor-layoutItem"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/36cefcc6-3cdd-56ee-b013-30fd769de6a7?fingerprint=ppb20251217033901" alt="mhuac6fq.jpg" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit"></p><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p></div></div><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Along with our students learning about the month of November and what it means to move into underground houses, we as a school, this month, are learning about Respect! The Bison carries the gift of respect.</span></p><table class="editor-table"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/5fdf1b5d-3220-40f8-a932-b6908ed90128?fingerprint=ppb20260212002918" alt="Respect1 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th><th class="editor-tableCell editor-tableCellHeader" style="width: 350px; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245); border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/5b04cd17-186d-4db6-9302-758550e97127?fingerprint=ppb20260212002918" alt="Respect2 doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></th></tr></tbody></table><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p>

<p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We moved our Elder posters to a permanent location in the entrance of Chilcotin Road Elementary. To honour the new location we blessed it with drumming and smudging. Thank you to Linda Jack for helping to organize this event.</span></p><div data-lexical-layout-container="true" style="grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; display: grid;"><div class="editor-layoutItem"><p class="editor-paragraph"><img src="/images/a0de19c6-e934-4a19-bd16-52947cc1b4e3?fingerprint=ppb20260211053902" alt="Smudging and Blessing our Entrance doug brown" width="100%" height="inherit" style="width:100%;height:inherit;display:inline-block"></p><p class="editor-paragraph"><br></p></div><div class="editor-layoutItem"><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p></div></div><p class="editor-paragraph" dir="ltr"><br></p>