There’s a new K-12 school opening in Drayton Valley and it’s set to offer a unique learning experience to students.
The Roots of Resilience Charter School begins its first year of classes on Sept. 2 and is the first educational facility to open under the Roots of Resilience Charter School Society, its governing authority.
Charter schools in Alberta are publicly funded and follow the same curriculum and teacher qualification requirements as other public schools while offering a unique approach to education.
At Roots of Resilience, this means centring an Indigenous cultural lens at the foundation of the student learning experience.
“We certainly see the gaps in public schools in this area that are not meeting the needs of Indigenous students,” explained Charlene Bearhead, Principal, Founder, Roots of Resilience Charter School. “We’ve really come to find that there are many students and families in this community and the surrounding area that feel like this Indigenous focused approach to education is best for their children as well, Indigenous or not.”
The school’s approach to education will centre around the student as an individual through a cultural lens, but Bearhead said there’s been some misconceptions about what the experience will really look like.
She added, the student experience will also include more land-based learning and outdoor education, as the curriculum will be delivered with a more hands-on approach.
Small class sizes are integral to the school’s mission, so classes have been capped at 15 students. Bearhead said the school is staffed to accommodate 60-75 students, and they may reach that limit this year as there’s already more than 60 students registered.
The school is open to any area resident, Indigenous or not, and there are no additional costs that differ from other public schools to attend.
Bearhead also noted that board member positions at the Roots of Resilience Charter School Society, which functions like any other divisional oversight, are strictly volunteer.
“Everybody’s there because of their commitment to the vision of the school,” she said.
According to Bearhead, there’s been a strong show of interest in the school already, with other parts of the province reaching out to the society about starting a campus in their community, and divisions in Manitoba asking for partnerships to use its teaching model.
She’s heartened by the interest, but wants to make sure this initiative is solid before taking more on.
Drayton Valley was chosen as the first location for multiple reasons. Simply, it’s where Bearhead is located, but beyond that, she said the town has a significant Métis population that’s often overlooked. So significant, she said, it appears on Canadian Geographic’s Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada.
“I love that this is not a location that people would really think about right away as far as an Indigenous focused school. If we can be successful here, which we’ve already seen incredible interest and faith in this and hope for many families,” she said, “that means that this can happen in any community.”
The school opens on Sept. 2 and an opening ceremony is set for Sept. 5. There will be guest speakers and the community is welcome to attend.
Comments