I. General Information
School Name: Ecole Ballenas Secondary School
School District: SD#69 Qualicum
Inquiry Team Members: Heather Deering: hdeering@sd69.bc.ca, Rochelle Levins: rlevins@sd69.bc.ca, Nikki Morton: nmorton@sd69.bc.ca, Kristin Redpath: kredpath@sd69.bc.ca, Francois Provencher: fprovencher@sd69.bc.ca; Mindy Holman: mholman@sd69.bc.ca, Jessylee Spence: jspence@sd69.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: hdeering@sd69.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Transitions Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Secondary (8-12)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Other: SEL/Belonging/Connection/Language
Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Core competencies (for example, critical thinking, communication, problem solving), First Peoples Principles of Learning, Inclusion and inclusive instructional strategies, Indigenous pedagogy, Land, Nature or Place-based learning, Social and emotional learning, Universal design for learning
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Our focus is building and promoting spaces that inspire hope/belonging.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: Previously, this transition study focused on interviewing Indigenous learners. The information was clear that connection to spaces and adults/peers/community was a need, not a want. The continued conversations and intentional connection with the Indigenous learners reinforced the need for a cultural space and connection with Elders and community. Scanning has occurred through conversations with learners, families, child and youth care workers, community supports, and Indigenous liaisons. We also noticed that we needed to continue our work with building connections to classroom spaces – embedding Indigenous ways of knowing and being into the environment and curriculum. The work and learning through our district Equity Scan, which focused on learning environments and pedagogy, complemented this study.
Focus: We selected this area because it is a need for the Indigenous learners in our school community. We wanted to connect students to spaces and adults to build a sense of belonging and hope, and improve life chances for Indigenous graduates. We want all of our students to walk across the stage with dignity, purpose, and options; we realized that this was not happening for all of our learners, and we knew we needed to address this equity barrier. We also knew that non-Indigenous learners and staff needed to continue their learning around Indigenous ways of knowing and being.
Hunch: After years of isolation, we noticed a sense of apathy towards the previous reconciliation work that the Ballenas community was doing. We also noticed that the Indigenous learners were not being served adequately from the HUB space that had been created as an SEL/connection learning environment. We had a hunch that the Indigenous community of Ballenas needed to have a cultural space that was intentional and meaningful. We also needed to have consistent Indigenous liaison support and connection to an Elder. This resulted in us opening a new space and office area for the Indigenous liaisons to meet with families and offer cultural learning. The district responded to this need by hiring more support and bringing in an Elder from Cowichan. We are very hopeful that this connection will be both a positive support for our Indigenous learners and also offer a way for non-Indigenous learners to build cultural competency.
New Professional Learning: Our small but mighty team attended the NOIIE symposium – this was a first-time experience for two of our members and they appreciated the new learning and ideas brought forth from the network. One of our team members also attended FNESC conferences and workshops. There was also professional learning focused on local Indigenous nations and land-based consciousness. We all attended the Dustin Louie session that the Indigenous Education team offered, and we are consistently seeking opportunities to increase our Indigenous awareness – specifically local knowledge.
Taking Action: The Indigenous liaisons focused on meeting with families and identifying barriers and needs for Indigenous learners. We opened up a space for cultural learning and invited an Elder in every Wednesday to connect with kids. We also opened up an office space for the liaisons to have personal conversations and connections with families. Our school joined the Indigenous Youth Advisory Council (IYAC) and shared information and student voice with our district Equity Scan team. We had the Indigenous Education Principal share Professional Standard #9 with our staff, and we ensured that all classes had a FPPL poster on their walls. We know that this needs to be much more than just a poster on the wall; therefore, we are using the FPPL as a framework to guide our school plan and inform conversations. We also had the land acknowledgement added to our entrance.
Checking: Next September, we will connect with Indigenous learners to ask these questions again. We did not complete this task this year due to a variety of factors. We have heard that the new space has been very important for the Indigenous learners. If you walk into the room during FLEX Wednesdays you will see cedar weaving, beading, and other cultural activities taking place. You will also observe kids leaning in to hear the stories that the Elder is sharing. Next year, the Indigenous liaison is planning on taking kids out to harvest Devil’s Club and other plants. We made a difference for some of the learners and their families; however, as always, there is more work to be done. This work is continuous and never ‘complete’; our intention is to continue on the path of equity and ensure meaningful graduation for Indigenous learners. One action that we will take next year is reviewing the Indigenous learners’ grad paths and ensuring that any deficit thinking is challenged.
Reflections/Advice: This year we had a change in team members and admin. We spent the first few months re-scanning and re-focusing, and determined that our focus inquiry was still relevant. We also learned how important it is to listen to the kids. How could we create meaningful connections to spaces and adults without knowing what those connections and spaces needed to look like for the learners? We are also creating a place-based cohort for our grade 10/11s in response to student voice, and the need for our kids to have further options in education.
Next year, we will be meeting with all Indigenous learners and surveying/interviewing them. We will be asking the four questions, and also have some school-specific ones focused on academics and classroom environments.