Hillside students not slouching in hoodies
By Mary Laronde
KETTLE & STONY POINT FN – It was no ordinary last day of school before the summer break in this First Nation.
When former Prime Minister Paul Martin and other honoured guests pulled up at Hillside elementary school on June 25th, they were welcomed into the tidy building by happy students, many wearing their traditional regalia. The big day for which students and staff had planned and rehearsed was finally here.
The “Celebration of Literacy” acknowledged student achievements and marked the end of a five-year partnership between Kettle and Stony Point and the Paul Martin Aboriginal Initiative’s Model Schools Project.
Chief Tom Bressette expressed appreciation to the Paul Martin Foundation and other partners in the Hillside School literacy project.
“Kettle and Stony Point worked hard and long to develop our school,” said Chief Bressette. “ Having a school here was controversial. We wanted to prove that we could bring education home and bring our community back.”
And bring it back, they did. The success of the Model Schools Project was nowhere more apparent than in the demeanour of the students themselves and in the involvement of the community in their celebration which began with an honour procession led by the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation Eagle Staff carried by Greg George and the Anishinabek Nation Eagle Staff carried by Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee.
Elders, parents, teachers, and distinguished guests, including Anishinabek Deputy Grand Chief Glen Hare and Chief Joe Miskokomon of Chippewas of the Thames, participated in the celebration that acknowledged the generous support of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation, Larry and Judy Tanenbaum, and the Pathy Family Foundation. The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) was recognized for its mentoring and technical support in professional development and school administration.
The main goal of the literacy project was to establish best practices in culturally-based literacy instruction. While the students’ academic achievement scores in reading and writing increased significantly – Hillside students now score at or beyond the provincial average – Principal Cathy Hampshire believes that the scores represent a very small part of what has been accomplished.
“In literacy instruction, it doesn’t matter what the language is. Our Ojibway teachers have had the same instructional process, which is strengthening the program, resulting in strong reading and writing skills. The Ojibway program at Hillside is one of the best.”
Hampshire said the biggest achievement is found in the faces the students themselves. “What you saw here were students smiling with self-esteem and confidence. These children are very engaged. They participate in the choir, in the school garden, attendance has improved. Five years ago you would have seen disengaged students, slouching in their seats and hiding in their hoodies.”
Kettle and Stony Point council member Bob Bressette, who shares the education portfolio with Councillor Marshall George, told the visiting dignitaries, “It was wonderful to experience the excitement of the students, to see them looking out the window in anticipation of your arrival.”
Hampshire attributes the school’s turnaround to the “a-ha moment” when the focus was shifted off the students and put on changing the attitudes of teachers and administrators and on what the students could do.
“No parent wants to hear what their child can’t do, so we turned it around. Professional development was targeted and focused, given in small bursts, and very specific to the issue.”
“The best part is the parental involvement. And the grandparents are involved too. Our gardening project brings the parents into the school and the women come in to make shawls for the girls.” Community members are also engaged in teaching traditional skills in fishing, hunting and hide tanning.
With the official project over, technical support will continue over the next two years in student assessments, administrative assistance, and professional development for teachers. “We want to maintain gains and build on strengths,” said Hampshire.
This fall a resource package and video will be available for all First Nations who might find it helpful in turning their school around.
Prior to 1963 classes were held within the community at different locations for Grades 1 to 8. That year elementary schooling in Kettle and Stony Point was absorbed into the provincial system when the federal department of Indian Affairs offered hot lunches and a clothing allowance of $50 per student for attending provincial schools. By 1973 all students were being bused to Forest, Ontario, about 15 minutes south.
The unique school building, “the only two-story elementary school on reserve in Ontario,” according to Chief Bressette, was completed in 1995. Today 136 students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 attend Hillside.
“Together we have created a positive foundation for our children to ensure that they have the essential tools,” he said. “But more importantly, our children now have a strong sense of ownership in their language, culture and history as a result of this project.”
Grand Council Chief Madahbee congratulated Kettle and Stony Point for demonstrating the capability of First Nations to oversee the education of their own children.
“Miigwetch for giving the Anishinabek Nation inspiration and unequivocal proof that, with adequate financial resources and strong school leadership, we have the expertise to provide quality, culturally relevant education and to administer our schools. When a First Nation makes education a priority, we create a caring environment for boosting Anishinaabe students’ self-esteem which, in turn, boosts academic achievement.”