I. General Information
School Name: Wellington Secondary School
School District: SD#68 Nanaimo-Ladysmith
Inquiry Team Members:
Nicole Wedholm – nicole.wedholm@sd68.bc.ca
Marley Heiberg – marley.heiberg@sd68.bc.ca
Misty Duifhuis – mduifhuis@sd68.bc.ca
Andrea Davidson – andrea.davidson@sd68.bc.ca
Sarah Elson-Hauguan – selson-haugan@sd69.bc.ca
Inquiry Team Contact Email: andrea.davidson@sd68.bc.ca
II. Inquiry Project Information
Type of Inquiry: NOIIE Case Study
Grade Levels Addressed Through Inquiry: Secondary (8-12)
Curricular Areas Addressed: Applied Design, skills & Technology, Arts Education, Career Education, Language Arts – Oral Language, Language Arts – Reading, Physical & Health Education, Science, Social Studies
Focus Addressed: Indigenous understandings (for example, Traditional Knowledge, oral history, reconciliation), Experiential learning, First Peoples Principles of Learning, Land, Nature or Place-based learning
In one sentence, what was your focus for the year? Our focus was on young Indigenous learners (specifically, males in junior grades) that feel disconnected from their school environment and are struggling to find success.
III. Spirals of Inquiry Details
Scanning: To determine our focus, we carefully observed how our junior Indigenous learners are transitioning into Wellington Secondary School. We asked ourselves key questions: what aspects are benefitting our students? What are the students’ behaviours communicating to us? How can these behaviours guide our practices?
Our observations revealed that many students struggle with attending classes due to discomfort with the current learning environment. Additionally, we found that many urbanized youth feel isolated and disconnected from their culture, affecting their emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Without balance in these areas, students are less likely to be prepared for academic learning.
Focus: Students find a sense of safety and belonging in the Indigenous Success Room. Recognizing a need, the Indigenous success staff developed a cultural teachings program. By connecting with local Elders and knowledge keepers, we introduced various learning opportunities rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. The goal was to engage learners through these traditional teachings and to assess the interest in expanding an Indigenous-focused platform for students.
Hunch: Wellington Secondary is uniquely situated in Nanaimo, serving an urban Indigenous population that includes students with Indigenous ancestry from various regions in BC and Canada, rather than from the three local nations. This diverse background and the often transient nature of the student population means that building relationships with peers and staff can take longer. Our focus cohort comprises youth from different nations and age groups, who often find connections with each other outside the classroom. Within the classroom, they gather in the Indigenous Success Room, where they proudly share stories of their relatives and the teachings they receive within their own nations. By incorporating Coast Salish teachings into this safe and communal space, we aimed to increase engagement in learning.
New Professional Learning: The most helpful resources were the human resources we brought into the classroom. We shared the learning opportunities with staff and we opened up the learning to any interested students in the school.
Taking Action: Over the course of the year, we worked with local Elders and knowledge keepers who introduced teachings through a variety of workshops and field studies. These opportunities were open invitation to Indigenous and non-Indigenous students:
Salmon fishing and preservation (smoking)
Herring roe harvesting, preparation and consuming (yum!)
Carving (which is tied to a larger carving project we are doing next year)
Cedar harvesting and cedar preparation
Cultural interpretive hikes to local landmarks and sacred places
DFO came in with a variety of sea life and presented on local seafood
Crabbing, including preparation and consumption
Oral histories about Snuneymuxw
Drum making
Checking: We had a large number of interested students participating in the workshops, ranging from grades 8-12. The older students took on significant leadership roles, while participation from our focus cohort varied depending on the activity, indicating a need to rescan and refocus for next year. Collaboration opportunities arose with the English First Peoples and Westcoast Wilderness classes, working alongside the Indigenous Success team. We expanded our resources list and supported these learning opportunities with additional district funds. Looking ahead, we plan to continue similar opportunities next year and engage in a large carving project secured through grant funds.
Reflections/Advice: We were able to engage a number of learners in rich cultural teachings supported by local Indigenous knowledge keepers and Elders. We still struggle with the engagement level of our focus cohort of students. They report feeling safe and connected to the school (they don’t elope off property) and we have built connections with their families, but they still find challenges in being in classes. We will remain true to our focus for next year and continue to seek ways to engage this particular group of students.