High School Students Embrace Outdoor Learning

Lake Superior High School  students enrolled in the outdoor education classes were given a unique opportunity this fall. Chris Dube, who runs the outdoor education programme, had been working with community members and elders in the First Nations village of Pays Plat for the last few years to try and create a workshop for his students. His vision was to take students to Pays Plat and have them live outdoors on location for a few days and attend teachings from residents in the village. The Pow Wow grounds were also in need of some upgrades and so a plan was formed that would involve the students. Funding had to be sourced and three organizations stepped up to help. The Jane Goodall Foundation, TD Bank and Hydro One all contributed to the $30,000 needed to buy materials that would be used to rebuild the bleachers at the Pow Wow site. 

Upon arrival the first task was to establish living quarters and create a base camp. The three day programme would include building the actual bleachers as well as many outdoor activities including canoeing and archery, teaching workshops and lessons on traditional medicine, art  and culture. As Chris mentions, he sees these types of classes as an innovative way to form bonds not only between the students but also with First Nations communities.

Schreiber Media Centre was given access to attend some of the events and speak with the students and some of the organizers. One of the things that became evident when talking with the students is their desire to embrace the teachings of the First Nations people. Respect for others and working together featured high on the list of lessons learned.

Another thing that at first seemed odd was how this particular generation, raised on cell phones and social media and computerized everything, seemed to adapt to this new way of living. At one point some of the students were hiding out in a little hut doing some painting and jamming along to some rather out of place music. It turns out that these new Bohemians were listening to music from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkel and various other bands that had been around during the Woodstock era some 60 years earlier. It was as if history was repeating itself and this three day event was becoming a mini Woodstock for this group. 

Many of the teachings were held in private sacred areas and cameras were not permitted. By the end of day one the old bleachers had been removed and most of the new ones had been assembled. Day 2 took on a different tone as the skies opened up and the rain began to fall. This of course is considered a good sign to some cultures so it wasn’t surprising that the students enthusiasm hadn’t been dampened. An afternoon canoe trip was on the agenda once the rain let up and it became a rather memorable occasion as the main canoe had run into some obstacles and had to be portaged to its next location resulting in a real world appreciation for how early settlers and indigenous people had to work together for survival.

Raymond Goodchild made a poignant observation that for years residential schools had taken away identity and culture --  and now here was a school that was not only embracing reconciliation, but was actually contributing to the education of its students and working with First Nations communities.