I. General Information
School Name: Similkameen Elementary Secondary School
School District: SD#53 Okanagan Similkameen
Inquiry Team Members: Sarah Browning: sbrownin@sd53.bc.ca
Katie Anderson: kanderson@sd53.bc.ca
Jessica Stelkia: jstelkia@sd53.bc.ca
Brianna Whitney: bwhitney@sd53.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: ssmith@sd53.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: Indigenous Education Impact Initiative
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Intermediate (4-7), Secondary (8-12)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Language Arts – Literacy, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Language Arts – Writing, Mathematics / Numeracy, Science
Focus Addressed: Indigenous Focus (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Land, Nature or Place-based learning, Self-regulation
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? How will effectively implementing culturally responsive pedagogy impact the mental wellness of Indigenous students, ensuring alignment with their cultural identities, traditional knowledge, and community values?
This inquiry seeks to explore strategies that prioritize Indigenous perspectives, foster resilience, and promote a sense of belonging within educational and support systems.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: Our initial survey in November asked variations of the 4 key questions. 68%, or 43 out of 64 self-identified Indigenous students, could name two or more specific adults within the building who believed they would be successful. Similarly, those students who were spoken to during empathy interviews were able to name multiple adults who believed they would be a success. Many of those individuals named were members of the IEA team and EA/support staff members. 47.4% of the 232 students surveyed could not see the connection between what they were learning and their future. In an empathy interview when asked, “What would make learning more interesting or relevant to you?” A grade 10 student responded with the following: “Learning new things and more about my culture types.”
Focus: Across the data, both the survey and empathy interviews, several key themes emerged: social emotional, needs for personalization and flexibility, and a general frustration with the school system. Students repeatedly expressed the need for teachers, EAs, and schools to provide encouragement, kindness, and understanding, especially during challenging times. Stress, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion were recurring themes in students’ responses, highlighting a critical need for mental health support and accommodations. They also voiced the need for individualized support, autonomy and space, as well as the need to work at their own pace or handle challenges independently. A desire for engaging interest-driven activities was also important for students.
There was also a general dissatisfaction with the school system. Students feel dissatisfied and frustrated with certain teaching styles, lack of clarity in instructions, or insufficient support from teachers. The institutional nature of school, including rigid routines and a perceived lack of flexibility, contributes to students feeling bored or disengaged. And, many students mention feeling overwhelmed by the workload or the pace of lessons, suggesting a need for balance between academic rigor and well-being.
Hunch: We wonder if some of our current school structures and teaching practices may not be fully supporting the social-emotional and learning needs of our students. We’re noticing that when students feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or unheard, it may be linked to a lack of flexibility, personalization, and emotional support. We have a hunch that by creating more compassionate, responsive, and student-centered learning environments—where students feel safe, understood, and able to work at their own pace—we can foster greater well-being, engagement, and a stronger sense of belonging.
Reflections for Year 1: So far in this inquiry cycle, we have learned that while many students do feel connected to adults in the building, they most often identify support staff—such as EAs, IEAs, and counsellors—as their primary sources of connection and support. It’s clear that students are not only able to articulate what they need to improve their educational experience, but are also highly aware of what supports their mental health and well-being. Although we are a trauma-informed staff that deeply cares about our students, there seems to be a disconnect between this care and our everyday teaching practices. Our pedagogy and classroom structures may not yet fully reflect the understanding and flexibility that students need. Many students are feeling overwhelmed and stressed by school, which suggests that we need to more intentionally align our instructional approaches with the relational and emotional support we strive to provide.
Plans for Year 2: ChatGPT said:
Based on what we’ve learned, our next steps will focus on bridging the gap between our trauma-informed values and our daily teaching practices. We plan to explore ways to embed more flexibility, personalization, and student voice into our pedagogy—ensuring that our classroom environments reflect the same care and responsiveness students experience with support staff. This may include co-creating classroom norms with students, incorporating regular check-ins, providing more opportunities for choice and autonomy, and adjusting workload or pacing to reduce stress. Additionally, we will engage in professional learning that deepens our understanding of how trauma-informed principles can directly shape instructional strategies, so that our students not only feel supported emotionally, but also academically empowered.