I. General Information
School Name: Brechin Elementary
School District: SD#68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith
Inquiry Team Members: Olga Poyner, olga.poyner@sd68.bc.ca; Anna Bedard, anna.bedard@sd68.bc.ca; Tony Elliot, telliot@sd68.bc.ca; Courtney Hill, courtney.hill@sd68.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: Wendy.Robertson@sd68.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Primary (K-3), Intermediate (4-7)
Curricular Areas Addressed:
Focus Addressed: Indigenous Focus (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation)
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Can creating art, specifically Indigenous art, be a vehicle for our most vulnerable Indigenous students and their families to connect with our school communities?
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: We observed that some of our Indigenous learners had inconsistent attendance. We assumed that perhaps students did not feel connected to their school which could stem from the intergenerational trauma of residential schools. As we derived one of our school-goals based on observations of Indigenous students (e.g. poor attendance, lack of motivation, academic performance), it became apparent that many of our students were struggling.
Focus: We recognize the deep connection Indigenous peoples have with their culture, particularly through art. Our goal was to help these students feel a stronger sense of belonging and to see that they could make a meaningful contribution to our school community by working collaboratively on an art project. We also hoped that this experience would encourage more consistent school attendance.
Hunch: In conversations with our Indigenous Student and Cultural Support Worker (ISCSW), we were reminded of the intergenerational trauma from Residential schools and that many families do not feel connected to our schools. In the past, we had used whole-school Indigenous art projects and we saw the most positive student responses when they created art. We decided to use this model with this particular group of students.
New Professional Learning: We relied on our District Indigenous support teachers to guide us in our professional learning. They guided us through Indigenous cultural activities such as talking circles, lacrosse, drumming and building a fire to smoke salmon. We also learned to create cultural art: two of our District Indigenous teachers support staff came to a school-based Pro-D Day, so that each staff member could make their own drum and stick. The next step is to have another session where we will paint the drum. Our district also dedicated a Curriculum Instructional Day where teachers participated in a workshop on weaving and learned to play a drumming song that was gifted to our district. These workshops helped us become more connected with the culture. Having this opportunity to immerse ourselves in Indigenous culture and activities helped us to better understand the deep connection Indigenous peoples have with art.
Taking Action: A few years ago, our intermediate teachers engaged in an inquiry focused on using art as a means of connection with their Indigenous students. As part of this work, they created a collaborative art project using large wooden panels, which are now proudly displayed in our school gym. The project received very positive feedback from students, helping them feel seen and represented within the school.
Inspired by this success, we hoped to continue finding ways to support students who may feel disconnected from our school community and to encourage greater attendance and engagement. Following a meeting with our School-Based Team, the idea of hosting a weekly cultural night emerged. The goal was to create a welcoming space for community members to gather, share food, and participate in cultural activities such as drumming, weaving, and dancing.
Our ICSSW connected with a leader from a local cultural group who had a strong following and was seeking a space to practice drumming and dancing. We were pleased to offer the use of our gym for this purpose. Recognizing the importance of food in building community, we also prioritized shared meals at each event. We received generous donations of deer, elk, and fish from local bands, as well as contributions from grocery stores and nearby high schools. Tony worked alongside some of our Indigenous students to help with food preparation and cooking throughout the week.
We are grateful to the district for waiving the rental fees, which allowed the cultural groups to use the space without requiring staff supervision every week. Nevertheless, many of our staff chose to attend regularly and brought their families, contributing to a strong sense of community and connection
Photo description: The first photo has two photos of our wonderful Indigenous Cultural Student Support Worker, Tony Elliot. In one of them, he is holding a sign created for his room, ‘Lelum’ which means ‘home; in Hul’q’umi’num. The other photo is a gift created by the whole school thanking him for running the cultural nights. The last two photos are from cultural night- weaving and drumming. Click on image to enlarge.
Checking: In total, we hosted seven cultural nights, with most events drawing between 70 and 80 attendees. At times, as many as ten different First Nations bands were represented. These strong attendance numbers served as evidence that families felt welcomed and comfortable coming into the school.
We also gathered anecdotal feedback from our guest book and conversations with attendees. Comments such as “We love cultural night—it feels like being at a Longhouse ceremony,” “Thank you for opening your doors to us,” and “Culture is soothing” highlighted the positive impact these events had on our community.
These events were specifically intended to engage two families whose children either did not attend school or attended irregularly. One family began attending more consistently during the final two months of the school year, while the other student has yet to return. While we are generally satisfied with the outcomes, we recognize there is still work to be done and would like to find a meaningful way to reach out to the family whose child has been absent for most of the year.
Reflections/Advice: We would like to continue hosting cultural nights next year, as we felt they had a very positive impact on strengthening connections between our school and the Indigenous community. This was evident in the high attendance numbers and the positive feedback we received from guests.
We would also like to revisit the art project we originally planned to launch this year but postponed in favour of the cultural nights. We continue to believe this project would provide a meaningful opportunity for our Indigenous students to feel seen and to make a positive contribution to our school community.