Unique education centre in Regina graduates its first class
- Kristy Stonechild | July 30, 2018
Dylan Crowe’s path to graduation wasn’t simple—he dropped out after his uncle was murdered.
Crowe is one of 20 students who made up the first graduating class of the mâmawêyatitân centre in North Central Regina.
Principle Shannon Fayant says the centre is more than an infrastructure, “our kids didn’t build it but it was built on their prayers.”
She adds the school administration consulted the students and decided to embrace a soft dress code. The students wanted to rebrand themselves.
The students decided to honour the old Scott Collegiate, which was built in 1923, by keeping the colour blue and becoming the wolves – the school mascot.
“Here at Scott it’s just like you get welcomed every day with a big smile all the time, people know your name and they like get, they get the time to sit down with you and get to know you, and I think that’s the like one of the best ways to learning is being able to know your teacher,” says Crowe. “I use the outdoor afterschool program play basketball after school, my brothers are involved in the afterschool programs”.
Fayant lists off a dozen programs which include medicine picking for the girls and drum groups for the boys.
“We’re able to pick our sage for the year and our students’ harvest it and our elders are there our young men will do pipe,” she says. “When we talk about ceremony and culture, our young men will do the pipe and then our young women will go to the hills and pick the sage. Then well come together as community.”
Activities reflect the fact that up to 97% of the kids are of Indigenous ancestry. Crowe says “the spiritual side of his school contributed to his success being able to just go and smudge whenever that’s amazing.”
mâmawêyatitân centre is organized on a quarter system which helps students like Crowe to complete their high school diploma. He said he completed his math class in one month. The centre, which opened last September, is more than just a school, it’s a community center with a public library, Regina Police Service and a daycare.
The centre’s first graduation ceremony was held on June 26th. Crowe says he’s proud to be in the first graduating class.
“I didn’t think of it like to much of anything but I guess it’s a pretty big deal because you know like you’re the first one to graduate from this new school,” he says. “Who knows how long this school’s going to be around, just being able to say that you’re the first one to .”
Crowe plans to apply to a teacher education program after graduation with hopes of becoming a gym or math teacher.
“Those are my two favorite subjects and I always wanted to become a teacher since I was a little kid because I found it interesting to teach the younger generations coming up,” Crowe says. “I’d also like to influence kids like how I was influenced by my teachers.”