Nearly 90 per cent of students in the school division identify as Indigenous. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

honour

NLSD receives provincial award for Indigenization efforts

Dec 3, 2024 | 12:11 PM

The Northern Lights School Division (NLSD) has been recognized for its work towards Indigenization within its organization.

At the Saskatchewan School Boards Association’s Fall Assembly banquet in Regina on Tuesday, it was announced Northern Lights was the 2024 recipient of the Premier’s Board of Education Award for Innovation and Excellence in Education.

“There’s no doubt I’m feeling very proud of the division,” said NLSD Director of Education Jason Young.

“I’m feeling very proud of our staff who do the work every day. It’s very exciting and we’re proud of that accomplishment and … it’s something that couldn’t have been done without everyone’s involvement and everyone buying in, and so it’s been awesome to see that work happening right throughout the school division in every community and every school.”

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Examples of Indigenization undertaken by Northern Lights include the renaming of three schools, changing the school division’s logo, supporting teacher education programs, launching a new Land, Language and Culture Program, hosting an annual Indigenous Language Summit, and offering Indigenous language immersion classes in Beauval, Cumberland House, La Loche, La Ronge and Pinehouse Lake.

There were 3,910 students across 20 schools across Northern Saskatchewan in the last academic year under Northern Lights. Nearly 90 per cent of those students identify as Indigenous.

The award received by the school comes with a $5,000 prize and there are already plans on how that money will be spent.

“The board talked about the board using that money to fund additional outdoor land-based programs in the school division,” Young said.

“There is some talk around what that could look like, but certainly it will be invested in land, language and culture programming.”

The Northern Lights School Division’s new logo was unveiling in August. (Facebook/Northern Lights School Division)

Indigenization efforts have been driven by a desire to address the Nation Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

Saskatchewan Education Minister Everett Hindley was in attendance at the banquet to honour the NLSD. In a media release, he said he is pleased with their innovative approaches to promoting Indigenous culture.

“The Government of Saskatchewan applauds the division for its leadership in reconciliation through education,” he noted.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com