Fort William Keewaytinook Internet High School Classroom to host variety of events in January and February
By Rick Garrick
FORT WILLIAM — The Fort William Keewaytinook Internet High School (KiHS) Classroom is holding a variety of events during January and February, including Dream Catchers with Beverly Bannon on Jan. 19. Other events include a Movie Day on Jan. 26 and Trapping with Elders and Ice Fishing with Elders on dates to be determined in February.
“We made dream catchers but I had a story and I told them a little bit about what the dream catcher means — to make dreams and to follow your dreams and to go after them and to be yourself,” says Bannon, a Fort William citizen. “It creates an identity, it creates a sense of belonging and that’s what I’m passing on to the youth.”
Bannon enjoyed working with the students on the dream catchers, noting that she picked the red willow branches for the dream catchers from a location in the community.
“They shared stories with me about what they’re learning, what they know and it was amazing,” Bannon says. “They are quick learners and they got it right away.”
Chanequa Cameron, teacher/mentor at the Fort William KiHS Classroom and online instructor for the English courses at KiHS, says it is important for any educator who is working with First Nations youth to make community connections so they can bring in teachers who represent the community’s stories and history.
“I was fortunate enough to be able to make a connection with Beverly, so I’m very grateful she was able to share time with us,” Cameron says. “The students did well, we had some moments where we sat just in silence. That is the point of this is kind of just sitting with ourselves and taking in the knowledge that Beverly shared with us and how we can take this Biwachigay (Workshop) and incorporate the teachings that she shared with us in our own life.”
Cameron says the Fort William KiHS Classroom is geared towards students who have some or no high school credits.
“We have some guidance counsellors on staff, they assess their courses and then we advise them on what course they could take, considering what their goals are,” Cameron says. “If they are thinking about going straight to the workforce or going to post-secondary after, we try to come up with a course and learning plan that’s also going to lead them towards where they want to go, so having some foresight about their goals is also important.”
Cameron says they also have a Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) program for students.
“PLAR allows students to study core content such as science, math and language but also they get credit for life and work experience,” Cameron says. “I just had a young lady come in and register, she has work experience from Matawa (First Nations) so that work experience would be used to give her some credit in the workplace learning.”
Cameron says some of main advantages of studying through KiHS are that students can do their studies within the comfort of their home community, they have an opportunity to do land-based activities that complement what they are learning in class and they are also provided with direct support and supervision by the teachers/mentors.
“I provide support for the students who come in person, but if they actually don’t come in person and they choose to work from home, I can also provide support while they are at home by …checking the work they have submitted, providing them some redirection with work they might have been successful with and supporting them that way,” Cameron says. “I’ve asked students to feel free to call me in the classroom, come in if they can come in or e-mail me. We try to make sure there’s multiple ways that they can connect with us.”
Established in 1999 and located in 15 communities across Northern Ontario, KiHS offers more than 80 courses in different streams, from applied to academic, workplace preparation to university preparation.