frontier school division€¢ n.o.f.i. spring 2015 frontier school division table of contents...

“As a Division, we

believe parents are

the child’s first and

most important

teachers.”

FSB REPORT page 4

“Within minutes

of the session, the

sounds of drums

and other instru-

ments reverberated

throughout the

entire room...”

PRESENTATIONS page 22

“This year,

we selected 10

singers or duets

and four bands to

compete.”

STUDENT PERFORMANCES page 32

In this edition:

• “The Power of Choice”

• Frontier School Board Report

• Introducing Reg Klassen

• Reflections from Ray Derksen

• Conference Opening and Celebration of Achievements

• Presentations

• Juried Art Show

• Student Performances

• Recognition Awards

• N.O.F.I.

SPRING 2015

FRONTIER SCHOOL DIVISION

Table of Contents

Frontier Northerner is the publication of the Frontier School Division.Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor and do not

necessarily reflect the official Division policy. ISS. No. 0288-3832. Please address all correspondence to: Frontier Northerner c/o Ms. D. Laubmann,

Frontier School Division 30 Speers Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2J 1L9

“The Power of Choice” 37th Annual School Committee Conference

3

Frontier School Board Report4

Conference Opening & Celebration of Achievements

20

Introducing Chief Superintendent Designate Reg Klassen

14

Juried Art Show24

Presentations22

Student Performances32Recognition Awards35

Nikanihk Ohci Foundation Inc.36

Reflections from Chief Superintendent Ray Derksen

16

“The Power of Choice”37th Annual School Committee Conference – Feb. 11-13, 2015

Wednesday, Feb. 11

8:45 a.m. Conference Overview

9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Area Advisory Committee Meetings

10:30 a.m. – noon Presentation (N. James Sinclair)

5:15 p.m. – 10 p.m. • Conference Opening and Celebration of Achievements

•Greetingsfromtheprovince (Minister Bjornson)• Juried Art Show Opening• N.O.F.I. Fundraising• Student Showcases “Frontier Idol and

Frontier Rocks”

Thursday, Feb. 128:45 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. • Conference Opening

• Student Showcases “Frontier Idol and Frontier Rocks”

• Presentation (W. Sweeney)• Presentation (C. Scholl)• Partner Information Booths• Juried Art Show Viewing

Friday, Feb. 138:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. • Frontier School Board Report

• Introduction of Chief Superintendent- Designate

• Programs Presentations• Presentation (Dr. M. Brownell)• Student Showcase: Frontier Fiddlers, and

the Christina Cater Memorial Square Dancers

• Conference Closing

Agenda at a Glance

Frontier Northerner 3

Mr. Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, motivational speakers Ms. Willow Sweeney and Mr. Chris Scholl, and Dr. Marni Brownell from the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and the Manitoba Institute of Child Health.

We hope you enjoy reading about the Annual School Committee Conference. Please contact your local Trustee or the Division office if you have any questions or to provide feedback.*

The Annual School Committee Conference is a very significant and important part of Frontier School

Division. The conference provides school committee members an opportunity to find out about Divisional programs, gain insights and ideas, and to share success and topics important to our communities. It enhances communication, accountability and planning for the future.

The chosen theme for 2015 was “The Power of Choice.” The Frontier School Board believes that everyone has the collective power to shape the future of education in Frontier through the choices that we all make. To assist school committee members a number of dynamic and thought-provoking speakers presented information on a variety of topics. Presenters included Associate Professor from the University of Manitoba

By Linda Ballantyne Board Chairperson

As I noted at the opening of our conference this past Oc-

tober our Division, along with the rest of the School Di-

visions in Manitoba, held a general election for school trustees.

Welcome again to all of our new school committee members

as well as those of you who are returning. I am also pleased to

introduce to you the Board you have placed your trust in, and

elected to serve you for the next four years:

• Area 1 Trustees HilbertMosiondzandGraemeMontgomery.HilbertisfromWabowdenandGraemefromSouthIndianLake.

• Area 2 Trustees Myself and Howard Sanderson. Howard is from the Rock Ridge sub-ward for Waterhen.

• Area 3 Trustees Marg Imrie and Tanya Friesen. Marg is from Falcon Lake and Tanya is from Bissett.

• Area 4 Trustees Marion Pearson and Donna Calvert. Marion is Vice-Chair-person of the Board and she is from Cranberry Portage, and Donna is from Sherridon.

• Area 5 Trustees Representing Norway House are Kathleen Ettawacappo and Darlene Osborne.

OurGovernancesystemliesattheheartofourDivisionand

has shaped our identity. It is our unique three-tiered level of

governance that ensures that the distinctive characteristics and

aspirations of each of our communities are heard, and that the

wishes of the people are respected.

While most school Divisions in Manitoba held an election

for 10 trustees, this past October our Division conducted an

election for over 230 positions. Our governance model is es-

tablished in The Public School Act of Manitoba. This legislative

foundation gives the school committee real authority, real re-

sponsibility, and a strong voice of local control in the affairs of

the school.

Our Annual School Committee Conference is a celebra-

tion of our governance structure. It is a celebration of the fact

that while we are vast and diverse we can still gather together

unified in purpose. It is this unity of purpose, combined with

our respect for the diversity of our communities that make us

uniquely Frontier. We are one and yet we are many.

As your trustees we have complete commitment to, and re-

spect for, the voice and aspirations of each of the 39 communi-

ties that comprise our school division. Our Division is commit-

ted to continually supporting and building the capacity of all

the people who have stepped forward to serve and support our

local schools. We encourage each of your committees to utilize

theknowledgeandskillsofourGovernanceSupportOfficers.

EachofyourcommunitieshavetheservicesofaGovernance

Support Officer who has the responsibility to provide your com-

mittees support and training in many different areas. Training is

available in areas such as how to function as an effective com-

mittee, interviewing potential employees, basic accounting,

and understanding the various pieces of policy and legislation

that govern the school system.

To a large degree the wisdom, insight and support that a

committee brings to their roles makes the school what it is. The

quality of the staff hired, the unique programs offered, and the

general atmosphere of the school are all areas where you as a

school committee have a direct impact.

The fundamental purpose of all the people who have

stepped forward to serve our Division in an elected capacity is

to build a school division that supports learning for all regard-

less of background or circumstance.

When we talk about learning for all we are talking about pro-

viding support and professional learning opportunities for the

4 Frontier Northerner

Frontier School Board Report

1,500 staff members that work for the Division. We are talking

about the many adults who want another opportunity to pur-

sue an education. We are talking about the hundreds of school

age children that no longer register for school anywhere. These

young people require a fourth, fifth, and sixth chance from

our Division in order to discover their individual potential. We

are talking about providing families with the tools they need

to raise healthy, happy children. But most of all we are talking

about supporting children from the time they are in the cradle

until the time they begin their careers – cradle to career.

This report will speak to some of the challenges we all face

and some of the ways we as a Division are facing those chal-

lenges.

Early Development Instrument

Experiences in a child’s first five years of life have a direct im-

pact on their future health, well-being and success in school.

Everything in a child’s environment, particularly their early en-

vironment, contributes to their brain development. Positive ex-

periences early in a child’s life are very important.

When a child has nutritious food, physical exercise through

active play, and the love and attention of caring families they

will thrive. If any of these things are missing from a child’s life

they will suffer.

Because of the long term importance of a child’s development

from conception to the age of five, the Province of Manitoba has

developed a tool to measure a child’s readiness to enter school.

This tool is called the Early Development Instrument or EDI.

It measures five main areas of a child’s development:

1. Physical Health and Well-Being: Are children healthy, independent and rested each day?

2. Social Competence: Can children play and get along with others, share, show self-confidence?

3. Emotional Maturity: Are children able to concentrate on tasks, help others, show patience, are not often aggressive nor angry?

4. Language and Thinking Skills: Are children interested in reading and writing, can count and recognize numbers, shapes?

5. Communication Skills and General Knowledge: Can children tell a story, communicate with adults and other children?

In addition to the provincially-mandated EDI, our Division

conducts our own assessments of Kindergarten students’ readi-

ness to enter school using an instrument that is referred to as

the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning or

DIAL. The information gathered from the use of EDI and DIAL

are community-specific and they are available for each of your

school committees to discuss.

Displayed at the top of the next page are the EDI results from

one of our larger communities but are representative of many

of our communities. This chart shows the percentage of five-

year old children who are not ready to enter school in the five

competencies I have just mentioned. In one column you will

see the community average for one of our larger communities

as compared to children in the rest of the Province.

Frontier Northerner

FSB Report continued...

Left: Board Chairperson Linda Ballantyne reviews EDI results.Above: Trustees of the Frontier School Board.



I would like to point out the following differences.

• The provincial average for students not ready for school in “physical health and well-being” is 11.3%. Within our community the average for students not ready for school is 32.2% in terms of their physical health and well-being.

• In the next category of “social competence” 21.5% of pre-school children are not ready to enter school as compared to the provincial average of 8.7%.

• In the area of “emotional maturity”, 20.4% of our children are not ready to enter as compared to 11.9% provincially.

• In “language and thinking skills”, 23.3% of our children are not ready to enter as compared to 12.5% for the rest of the Province.

• Perhaps most concerning is the area of “communication skills and general knowledge”, 37.3% of our children are not ready to enter school as compared to 11.2% for the rest of the Province.

We are seeing large numbers of children starting school

who are behind their provincial peers in their physical

well-being, social competencies, and emotional maturity.

Unfortunately many of our children entering school are also

significantly behind in language, communication and think-

ing skills. In the past number of years it was common in many

schools for students to start school fluent in the language of

their community. This is no longer the case.

Our Board feels it is of utmost importance that communities

realize the gravity of the situation as it pertains to the overall

health of our children prior to their entry into school. Many of

our children are significantly behind other children in Manito-

ba before they even begin their first day of school. All of us, in

whatever roles and responsibilities we have, need to see these

numbers as alarming. We need to redouble our collective ef-

forts to address this crisis facing our youngest and most vulner-

able children.

Gardening and Healthy Foods

As trustees, we are committed to work with families and

communities to ensure our children are given a strong founda-

tion on which they can begin school. Our Mission Statement

talks about the importance of healthy children, healthy fami-

lies, and healthy communities. We all know that healthy food

is essential to a child’s well-being. We also know the high cost

of healthy food in many of our communities. Our Division has

taken a very practical approach to this problem and has been

working for many years to support families in producing their

own food through community gardening projects.

Growing and producing food is not a new concept. It is

something that our people have done since the beginning of

time. Only in our recent history have these practices been for-

gotten. To the detriment of our own health and the health of

our children we have become increasingly reliant on fast and

highly processed foods.

Our Division has been teaching students gardening with the

hope that families and communities will join in. Over the years

we have distributed tens of thousands of strawberry plants,

built many small greenhouses, and helped establish small gar-

den plots. We continue to support these initiatives in partner-

EDI results – Sample School: Children not ready to enter school

2006/07 2008/09 2010/11Community

averageProvince

1) Physical health and well-being 20% 44.8% 32% 32.2% 11.3%

2) Social competence 20% 20.7% 24% 21.5% 8.7%

3) Emotional maturity 20% 17.2% 24% 20.4% 11.9%

4) Language and thinking skills 15% 31% 24% 23.3% 12.5%

5) Communication skills and general knowledge

30% 37.9% 44% 37.3% 11.2%


ship with our communities. We are doing this because at the

most basic level if our children are going to be healthy they

must have healthy food.

The way for many of us to access healthy food in our com-

munities is to grow it ourselves. For those of you who were at

the conference last year Priscilla Settee presented on the impor-

tance of rediscovering our traditions around the production of

our own food. Our vision as a Board is for every family to re-

establish what those who went before us took for granted – the

growing, gathering and storing of our own food.

The need to revive our traditions around food has immedi-

ate urgency. We use the word urgency because many of our

children are hungry. Throughout our history there have always

been times when there were a few children coming to school

hungry. Schools would often keep a toaster, a few loaves of

bread, and some peanut butter to give the child a snack. This is

no longer the case. Every day throughout our Division we are

now providing food for several thousand children.

As a Division we have responded to this need out of necessity

but this is not something we can do alone. We can no longer do

this with a few toasters. Schools search for grants, contributions,

and in some cases fundraise, in order to keep programs going.

To further support the basic nutritional needs of children our

Division has adopted and implemented a healthy foods poli-

cy in our schools. Once again our Division was a leader in this

area as these types of policies are now being implemented in

schools right across Canada.

Dolly Parton Imagination Library

In addition to the need for nutrition, another critical area of

children being ready to enter school is their awareness and fa-

miliarity with things such as books.

As a Division we understand the importance of reading to

children from the time they are born. We also know that many

families do not have easy access to books for young children

and that books such as these are expensive. To address the

need of getting books into every home our Board has formed a

partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

To become part of this program the parents fill out a form in-

dicating the name and ages of their children. Once this form has

been sent in the child will begin receiving books every month,

and by the time they are five years old, they will have received

60 books. These forms are available through our school librar-

ians. There is no cost to families for this program. We only ask

that parents take the books and read them with their children

on a regular basis.

By reading to a young child a little bit every day you are al-

most guaranteeing that once they start school, learning to read

will not be a challenge. The key to a child’s success in school is

reading.




While our schools certainly teach reading, parents have the

critical responsibility to read to their children on a regular basis.

By doing so parents will ensure that our children will no lon-

ger be starting school several years behind other children in the

province of Manitoba.

In the above table, you can see how many children have

been enrolled in this program in your home communities.

Parent Resources

Much of the work we have been doing to close the school

readiness gap being experienced by our children involves work

with parents.

We have initiated PEER programs in many locations. The pur-

pose of this program is to work with both children and their

parents prior to their entry into Nursery.

Programming that we often take for granted in our com-

munities is not common place throughout the Province. We

were one of the first Divisions to support and establish Nursery

programming in all of our schools. We take this program for

granted but there are very few school divisions in Manitoba of-

fering Nursery. Our Division has also led the way provincially in

offering full-day Kindergarten in many of our communities.

Over the past two years we have established a “Welcome to

Kindergarten” program. This program provides each family with

a bag of materials to work with their child. The bag contains

pencils, crayons, scissors, paper and books. During an open

house event the parents of the Nursery/Kindergarten children

are given hands-on opportunities to learn how to use the mate-

rials in the kit with their children.

Most of our communities do not have easy access to a public

library. As a Division we continue to focus on making our school

libraries accessible to parents as our commitment to support

literacy. It might surprise you to know that the Division’s librar-

ians have hundreds of thousands of books available to children

and their parents. We encourage your school committee to in-

vite one of our library specialists to present to you the many

resources available to your communities.

Almost from the time children are born it is important for par-

ents to begin talking to them about what they want to be when

they grow up. At a very early age children begin playing with

toys that have a resemblance to the various tools or pieces of

equipment used in real life.

The child development research in this area stresses the im-

portance of children nurturing a dream of what they want to

be. We all know that a child will change their mind many times

but what is important is that they are dreaming of their future

accomplishments. We also know that children’s imaginations

about their future occupations will often be shaped by the oc-

Dolly Parton Imagination Library: Number of children enrolled by community

Berens River 9 Crane River 11 Matheson Island 2 Sherridon 8

Birdtail Sioux 8 Falcon Beach 16 Moose Lake 125 Skownan 42

Bissett 3 Gillam 56 Norway House 391 Snow Lake 37

Brochet 51 God’sLakeNarrows 8 O’Hanley (Black River) 31 Thicket Portage 10

Camperville 21 GrandRapids 74 Pikwitonei 2 Wabowden 34

Churchill 62 Ilford 3 Pine Creek 31 Wanipigow 71

Cormorant 23 Island Lake (Stevenson Island) 12 Red Sucker Lake (Disbrowe) 3 Waterhen 6

Cranberry Portage 23 Lynn Lake 5 Rorketon 17


cupations of their parents or the occupations they commonly

see in their communities.

Career Trek

In order to support our children’s dreams for the future our

Division has formed a partnership with Career Trek.

Career Trek offers students hands-on experience in different

careers.Girlsandboysasyoungastenyearsofagevisitpost-

secondary institutions to try as many as 80 careers in 17 differ-

ent fields. It is our belief that when the child nurtures a dream

for their future they will begin to see the work they are doing in

school in a new way. One of the requirements of this program

is the full involvement of parents. If you are interested in having

your children participate in this program we encourage you to

put this topic on the agenda of one of your upcoming school

committee meetings. While reviewing the Career Trek website,

I noted with interest that Elder Marie Nepinak from Skownan

First Nation talks about the benefits this program has had on

her grandchildren.

In addition to the Career Trek partnership our Division has

developed and implemented a number of programs unique to

Frontier that focus on developing within our children a vision for

their future career.

Programs such as Career X, the Expanded Options program,

the work experience program, and the annual student tours of

colleges and universities all work together to support our chil-

dren in their career choices. These programs are available to all

childrenwithinourDivision.AssistantSuperintendentMacGil-

livray highlighted some of these programs at the conference.

As a Division, we believe parents are the child’s first and most

important teachers. The school division cannot and should not

take the place of the parent. Parental involvement has been a

corner stone of the Division since our very beginning. It is es-

sential for the success of our children.

All the programs that I have just outlined require parental

participation. We believe that we can overcome many of the

obstacles our children face but it can only happen with the full

participation of parents, families and communities. We encour-

age individual committees to have conversations around in-

creasing the level of parental involvement in each of your com-

munities and schools.

In addition to the supports for early years programming, our

Board believes that each child is a unique individual with their

own gifts, talents, and aspirations. In order to meet the individu-

alized needs of the child as they grow and mature, our Division

has established a variety of opportunities and pathways for stu-

dents to follow.



Children with interests in the arts can be involved in the Divi-

sion’s Fiddling program which now has over 2,200 students en-

rolled. In addition travelling artists visit various schools through-

out the school year.

Those with an interest in the vocational areas can explore

Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Building Construction, and Power

Mechanics programming.

We support many different on-the-land programs. Our stu-

dents have the opportunities to learn trapping, fishing, and

hunting skills. Each of the communities has the opportunity to

work with the Divisional staff and develop programming that is

important and relevant to them. Area Superintendent Swanson

will provide more details on our land-based programing.

On an annual basis the Board receives and discusses the

data from the assessment results that show how our children

are performing in English Language Arts, Mathematics and Sci-

ence. The data you are looking at is included in your conference

package and is contained in the Division’s Annual Report. This

data is to be used to formulate discussions at your school com-

mittee table.

In addition to the formal assessment reports received, the

Board meets with the Area Superintendents and Program Area

consultants to review student achievement. An ongoing focus

of the Board at these meetings and at all regular Board meetings

is what actions can be taken to address the academic gaps be-

ing experienced by many of our children.

Many of our current programs such as the Division’s literacy

continuum, the pre- and post-tests in Mathematics, and the ad-

ditional supports for Science programming are the result of the

many meetings and conversations our Board has had with staff.

As a Board, we have been concerned about the low par-

ticipation rates and achievement levels of our students in the

Maths and Sciences. Without a strong foundation in these areas

we know that our students will be at a great disadvantage when

it comes to post-secondary education. We also know our stu-

dents require these courses to apply for many of the jobs that

are available in the North.

In April 2014, the Board of Trustees invited Don McCaskill,

the Superintendent in charge of the Divisional Mathematics

program, and the Mathematics consultants to meet with the

Board and discuss the current state of Mathematics in the Divi-

sion. This meeting and subsequent conversations have led our

Mathematics leadership team to re-envision how we approach

Mathematics in Frontier School Division. This Team has submit-

ted a plan to the Board and we as a Board continue to review

and focus our efforts in Mathematics.

It should be noted that intensive discussions on the best ap-

proach to teaching Mathematics are occurring throughout the

Province.

In addition to our concerns about Mathematics, the Board

has also noted that many of our students are not participating

in the higher level Science courses. In response to the need

to increase student participation in the Sciences our Board al-

located additional resources in the budget.

A Divisional Science committee has been established. This

team’s task is to plan and implement Division-wide Science


Area Superintendents Ford and Swanson describe activities taking place in the Language and Culture department. Area Superintendent Swanson also reported on land-based activities.


activities. Our team of leaders in Science has been working

closely with Right Click, the Division’s technology department.

Together they have delivered ground breaking, streamed, learn-

ing events such as live surgical procedures. These events have

put our children in communication with places in Africa, Taiwan,

Australia and the United States. Later on our staff will present

further information on the various activities taking place in re-

gard to Science and Technology.

A foundational pillar of our Division is a commitment to and

respect for the diverse languages and cultures found through-

out our Division. On September 9, 2014 our Board began the

new school year by holding the Board meeting at the Misi-

pawistikCultureCampinGrandRapidstodiscusstheDivision’s

language and culture program.

Invitations to participate were also extended to the Aborigi-

nal Education Directorate and Elders from various Division com-

munities. At this meeting Elders expressed their concern for the

need to have students learn their local community history, lan-

guage and culture. More information on programs and services

in this department will be provided by Superintendents Ford

and Swanson.

Our Board is committed to ensuring that our elders are given

a voice and an active role within the Division. We encourage

each of our school committees to put this on your agenda to

discuss ways in which you can incorporate the participation of

your community elders into the daily routine of your school.

Over the past years our Board has supported major initiatives

in the area of Technical Vocational programming. This program-

ming is providing our students with a wide range of opportuni-

ties to explore various career options.

We are appreciative of the financial support pro-

vided by our government allowing us to pursue and

expand vocational programming throughout our

Division. This support has allowed the Division to provide Tech-

nical Vocational opportunities to small schools that do not have

facilities. This training is made possible by the Division’s mobile

trailers. These trailers are fully equipped and are brought onsite

to deliver instruction in Power Mechanics, Welding, and Building

Construction. This hands-on instruction is under the direction

of a fully qualified instructor. These trailers were brought to the

parking lot outside of the conference. Assistant Superintendent

MacGillivrayprovidedmoredetailstodelegatesattheconference.


Shown here is the mobile lab described by Chairper-son Ballantyne in the Board Report to delegates.



Our Division continues to see growth in the numbers of our

students entering post-secondary education. Schools were sur-

veyed in September to determine where their students went

after graduating in June 2014. Just over 49% of graduates in

the survey planned to enter some form of post-secondary stud-

ies such as universities, colleges, or trade schools. This increase

in our student participation in post-secondary education is en-

couraging. It is also an indication that our students are better

prepared to enter post-secondary studies upon graduation.

Adult Education programming continues to expand

throughout our Division. An example of the excellent work in

this program is in our securing the Housing Project that is cur-

rently underway at the Northern Technical Center in Cranberry

Portage. The students participating in this project have already

built two 1200 sq ft. homes.

This past September our Board had the opportunity to wit-

ness the keys for these homes being turned over to the families

that now reside in them. The contract for this program is in the

process of being extended an additional four years with mul-

tiple units being constructed and renovated in various Frontier

communities. If your school committee is interested in estab-

lishing an Adult Learning Centre please speak with your School

Administrator to determine its viability in your community.

Our Facilities Department has had a very busy and produc-

tive year. In addition to all the regular projects our Division does

on an annual basis, our Board received additional dollars to ad-

dress several projects that have been a very high priority. Most

notable has been the construction of a new 58,000 sq. ft. stu-

dent residence in Cranberry Portage. In addition, a new 6,000

sq. ft. power mechanics shop was also constructed.

Our Board had the privilege to attend the grand opening of

these facilities this past September. As a Board we want to com-

mend all the staff who worked so hard to make this project a

reality.

Our Board deeply appreciates the confidence shown in our

leadership by the Province of Manitoba. As a result of the con-

fidence shown in our Division and the additional financial sup-

port provided, our students are now able to enjoy a state-of-

the-art facility.

Our Board also received the necessary approvals and finan-

cial support from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

Canada to replace the water and sewer treatment plant at Jack

River School as well as funding to address the infrastructure up-

grades required at the school in Berens River.

This past year we received a notice of retirement from our

Area 4 Superintendent Cathy Fidierchuk. She will be retiring

at the end of June. On behalf of the Division our Board wants

to thank Cathy for her 36 years of dedication to the children of

our Division. We as a Board are grateful for the dedication our

staff has shown to the Division. Without the commitment of

individuals such as Cathy we could not realize our many goals.

Thank you Cathy.

Science Consultant Rockford McKay provided information on Science activities taking place in the Division and followed up the presentation with a science experiment.


I would also like to note that Chief Superintendent Ray

Derksen is retiring at the end of July. We wish Mr. Derksen

the very best in his retirement. Upon notice of Mr. Derksen’s

retirement our Board set out a process for the recruitment and

hiring of a new Chief Superintendent as outlined in Policy C.1.B.

Dr. John Wiens was contracted to work with the Board to assist

in gathering feedback from across the Division to help shape

the job advertisement, and to assist the Board with shortlisting

and interviewing candidates for this very important position.

This was a very lengthy process which began last September

and concluded in mid-January. At the conclusion of my remarks

I will be introducing you to the Chief Superintendent Designate.

I noted earlier that our Board is committed to supporting our

students from cradle to career. The theme of our conference

was “Power of Choice”. Our Board encourages every one of our

school committees to make the choice to establish schools that

will give our students every opportunity to achieve success. On

behalf of my fellow trustees I would like to thank you for the

support you have shown us and the faith you have placed in us

to direct and guide the affairs of the Division. It is a trust we hold

sacred. Thank you.

As part of the Board Report, the Board Chairperson wel-

comed and introduced Chief Superintendent Designate, Mr.

Reg Klassen. Mr. Klassen provided a biography of his work in the

various fields of education and how he is looking forward to his

role with the Division. (See article “Introducing CS-Designate…”)

Chief Superintendent Ray Derksen was provided an oppor-

tunity to share his reflections on being part of the Division for

many years, offering best wishes to the Board, delegates and

staff. (See article “Reflections from Ray Derksen”)

Presentations on Science, Building Construction, Engaged

Learners Program and Technical/Vocational initiatives, Lan-

guage and Culture, and “Pakwacayik” (Living off the Land) con-

cluded the 2015 Board Report. *

Left: Assistant Superintendent MacGillivray presents information on the various technical vocational initiatives in the Division.Above: The Area 4 Advisory Committee receives a presentation by Human Resources Manager Janina Goldenstein.

Introducing Reg Klassen, Chief Superintendent-Designate

Let me begin by sharing with you how honored I am, to

have been invited to work in Frontier School Division

in the position of Chief Superintendent. I’ve heard many great

reports about the Division, and in the last few days I have wit-

nessed many wonderful aspects of Frontier. I am excited about

becoming part of the Division and working alongside all of you.

When people ask me how big or where Frontier School Di-

vision is, I tell them to go on the Division website, click on the

heading “About Us”, and then click on “Map” in the drop-down

menu. I let them know this is the best way to discover where

Frontier is located. By doing this they will also see the signifi-

cant amount of land that Frontier School Division covers in the

Province of Manitoba. Shortly after they do this, I often receive

a comment from them via text or email which always begins

with the word “Wow” and ends with something like, “Does that

Division ever cover a lot of land”. Following that, I try to explain

the complicated and intricate governance system that Frontier

has, which involves over 200 school committee members. Let

me just say my explanation is improving each time I try to help

someone understand the system.

As I get to know the Division, I realize that there are many and

varied agreements that are common in Frontier. Each agreement

is designed to deliver meaningful and high quality education to

Frontier students. The varied and different agreements and their

programs seem always to be an answer to a challenge that the

community and the Division have solved together. A different,

but community-orientated solution for each challenge - this is

what makes Frontier so unique in the Province of Manitoba.

As I come to know Frontier better, I am reminded of Erik Wei-

henmayer who wrote the book The Adversity Advantage. Eric

is an athlete who has climbed numerous summits including

Mount Everest. When I heard him speak he said that his adver-

sity, his being blind, was his advantage, because without it he

would never have been challenged to prove that he could do

the things he accomplished.

As I get to know the people in Frontier I discover a similar

kind of character, a character that builds advantage from ad-

versity. The wide expanse of geography, the great distances

between communities, and the desire to offer a wide variety

of programming to all students, are not without challenges.

From my conversations with people who work and live in

Frontier, it is quite evident that adversity has been made into

an advantage in numerous situations.

On the morning the announcement of my appointment

as Chief Superintendent-Designate was released, Ray called

me and said that people were calling him and asking “Who

is Reg?” In talking with someone earlier, they said that when

they read the announcement with my information it sound-

ed similar to Ray’s. This is not far from the truth as Ray and I

have some unique connections we discovered when we were

working as Superintendents in adjacent Divisions. We were

both born in Saskatchewan, grew up Mennonite, our fathers

were both ministers for parts of their careers in Saskatchewan,

in the same town, at the same time. Since discovering that,

Ray and I have had a connection, and now I am proud to say,

one more connection.

Other information about me and more important, is that

I’ve been married to my wife Karyn for 31 years and we have

three children. Our oldest son, Luke, is a teacher in Winnipeg

and is married to Chaz who works for the government. Brock

our second oldest son, is attending Carleton University

in Ottawa and is married to Gill who is attending McGill

University in Montréal. Between the two of them they do a

lot of commuting back and forth. Our youngest, our daughter

Kylie, is attending Minot State University in North Dakota. My

wife and I do look forward to the day when we no longer have

to co-sign student loans!

I would also like to take this opportunity to share with you

what I believe to be integral to the education of our children.

First, I believe that the student is the most important



person in education, and that everything we do, everything we

design, every initiative we take needs to be designed to im-

prove their chances of educational success. I am also certain

that the teacher in the classroom has the greatest impact on

student learning, and in order to improve student learning we

must support our teachers through professional development,

school scheduling, and work environments as best we can.

Second, I think “servant leadership” is important and pro-

vides a framework for how we should carry out our work. Ser-

vant Leadership is about serving people first, then leading.

However; the intent is not to be the only leader, rather, the idea

is that those you serve will also grow in their capacity to lead.

The test to determine whether or not you have been a good

Servant Leader is to answer one question: “have you, through

your efforts, improved the situation for those you were serving,

and are they more likely to lead themselves?”

The third idea has to do with building relationships. I believe

in relationships that allow and encourage us to share our sto-

ries with each other. It is in these relationships we will come to

know each other, trust each other, and count on each other.

This type of relationship will give us courage, through know-

ing each other, to move forward and take on all of the hurdles,

obstacles, and difficulties that lie in our path. In this spirit of

trust, we have the potential to overcome everything, and ac-

complish anything.

In a recent article written by Justice Murray Sinclair in The

Manitoba Teacher, he states that we need to help our students

answer four questions, which are the great questions of life.

The first question is “Where do I come from”? This is about the

stories of our community, our history, our family and our per-

sonal story. The second question asks “Where am I going”? This

is not just about next week or the coming year. The answer is

about what happens when we die, and our beliefs, faith and

hope. The third question “Why am I here?” is related to the first

two questions and gives us insight into the role we play in the

world, as well as in our community. Justice Sinclair says that

when we answer this question we also need to look at what it

is our community needs, and that will help clarify a purpose for

our life. The fourth and last question is “Who am I?” According

to Justice Sinclair, it is the most important question because

we are always asking and answering it. Knowing the answers

to the first three questions is imperative because that will help

us answer this last question. This morning I heard the Frontier

Board Chair outline some of the ways in which we are helping

Frontier students answer those four very important questions

about themselves.

After my interview with the Frontier Board was finished I

called my wife to let her know I was done. Of course by then

I had already thought of all the great responses I could have

used, but didn’t think of when answering the questions. She

asked me how it had gone. I told her I was not sure what they

might think about me, but in the conversation of questions and

answers, I had found myself really liking this group of people.

I had a good feeling about the Frontier Board, what they were

focused on in education, and what they believed in. I remem-

ber saying to her “I can work here, it feels like a good place”.

Let me state again, how honored I am by the invitation

to work with all of you, in providing meaningful educational

opportunities for the students in the communities of Frontier

School Division. I close with the following six words: Our

Children, Our Success, Our Future. Thank you. *

Reg Klassen speaks at the annual School Committee conference.

Reflections from Ray Derksen, Chief Superintendent

Any time I have to begin a piece of writing with a

disclaimer I should probably stop and wonder about

the wisdom of what I am about to do. But while I have grown

increasingly cautious with age, I still seem to struggle with

impulsivity. So upon reading this, I ask you to take it in the spirit

in which it is written – musings, perhaps irreverent, of a soon to

be retired Chief Superintendent.

After attending the retirement functions of so many

colleagues, it is hard to believe that I didn’t know what to write

and say now that it is my turn. As any good administrator, I

immediately thought I’d get some past examples and follow

precedent. After all, we all love precedent. On the flip side,

nothing scares a true administrator more than setting precedent.

I can’t really remember how many times I have been cautioned

by people using the most gravity they can summon when they

say, “Be careful Ray – you will be setting precedent.” Now that I

am thinking about the whole precedent thing, I have to admit

to being both full of enthusiasm and oblivion in my youth to

the dangers of setting precedent – I have done many things in

my career that likely caused those in charge of my professional

life to age in a somewhat premature manner!

As a (very) young Principal, I was concerned about teamwork,

good staff morale, and had a keen desire to make sure staff

knew how much I appreciated the work they were doing with

our students. The question that constantly confounded me

was how to do this in a creative manner. We all know that, as

administrators, we are prone to have muscles bunching up

in our shoulders, and in my case, I seemed to have a problem

with extreme muscle bunching on my forehead. My daughters

frequently reminded me to “lift” my forehead. They even

developed a little signal to remind me. People probably thought

they were giving me the thumbs up but I knew better.

Just before Christmas one year, I was lying on the massage

therapist table in Flin Flon and it occurred to me most of our staff

probably needed a massage, given the stress of our jobs. Never

one to ponder ideas for long before taking action, I immediately

arranged for the company to bring all their massage therapists

to the school for a day. The beauty of the plan was that the staff

was covered by insurance and the massage therapists needed

to develop a clientele. Having made the initial commitment,

I went into high gear arranging substitutes to cover staff and

booked various rooms in the school for the treatments to occur.

I can attest to the fact that Superintendents are very busy

people, so my Superintendent of the day did not realize what

was about to happen. It had taken his lack of input on the

event as a sign of complete confidence in my leadership (this

was likely a faulty assumption on my part). I am not sure why

he chose to visit on the day of the event, but I think it was to

wish me a merry Christmas. I think what pushed him over the

edge was the hot tub in the library. I had to agree with him on

that point as a library is not really a suitable location for a hot

tub. All I can say now is that although the event was highly

successful resulting in widespread coverage, no precedent was

established by that particular action.

Setting precedent is a constant worry to me and has caused

me sleepless nights. I have done many things in my career that

were unprecedented. I have to acknowledge, however, that


I have done many things in my career that were unprecedented. I have to acknowledge, however, that many of them should never, ever be allowed to be precedent setting.


many of them should never, ever be allowed to be precedent

setting.

I don’t believe I would now give permission to a young

administrator to rent a load of hogs in order to simulate “the

running of the bulls” down the hallway of a school (I found it very

admirable that the Division allowed me to expense the pigs).

And given what I know today, I would never have approved an

enthusiastic drama teacher to have students re-enact the Virgin

Mary’s labour as she gave birth to Jesus (to be honest this was

an aspect of the Virgin Birth I had never really thought about).

I let my good judgement be swayed by the enthusiasm of the

students and the teacher who assured me the whole scene

would be done in a most tasteful manner.

In my defense; however, I must say I didn’t realize how

enthusiastically the student playing the part of the Virgin Mary

in labour would embrace the role, and I certainly didn’t realize

members of my home church would be sitting in the front row!

In my preparation for writing my reflections for a different

booklet, I noticed most people provided a bit of a resume. Never

one to stray too far from precedent, I will do that as well.

High School – Dropout

The above statement, while true, might require some further

explanation. I didn’t drop out of school. I was kicked out

through no fault of anybody but myself. I often ponder this

when I am called on to make some weighty decision affecting

the life of a young person, or one of the 1,500 or so staff I am

responsible for. For the most part, I believe we are quick to rush

to judgment based on past behaviour. I have also received

the sage advice that “the best predictor of future behaviour is

past behaviour.” That can certainly be the case, but does not

necessarily have to be so. I continue to be gratified every time

I see one of our students leading productive life despite the

myriad of terrible choices they made through their formative

high school years. When I see the various people whose lives I

have impacted through decisions I have made who are doing

well I think “good thing I gave them another chance; look at the

incredible things they are doing”.

Family - Spontaneous

Ihaveneverthoughtthatspontaneitywasabadthing.Good

things often result. This is quite true in terms of my life partner

of 41 years. While I dare not go into the details, I will say it was

love at first sight and marriage shortly after. I owe a great deal

to my wife, Debra, probably much more than I know. I did not

realize until two weeks ago that I owe my career in Frontier to

her as well!

I made this discovery when I asked Human Resources for my

file so that I would be able to put together a coherent biography

for this article. Interestingly enough, there were some notes in

the file from my initial interview in 1983.

I was described as pleasant several times and then, best of all,

I was given a score of 7 out of 10 with the comment that they

should likely keep their eyes on me. The one comment that

was highlighted, and made several times in the file, was that my

wife was an artist skilled in pottery and interested in working

with kids.

I can just hear the Superintendents of the day say, “Didn’t

you say there was some guy applying whose wife was a potter?

Wouldn’t it be great if our students could start learning pottery!”

Reflections continued...

Ray Derksen speaks to conference delegates.

I have nothing but extreme gratitude for the unwavering

support my wife and family have given me over the span of my

career. They have listened to me tirelessly and been there to put

me back together from time to time. My wife continues to stand

by me despite the fact the only picture in my office is of Dolly

Parton. The statement probably requires some explanation.

Several years ago, our school division partnered with the

Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Through this partnership,

every child born in our school division receives a book every

month until they are five years old. I am a firm believer that

as educators in positions of influence, we need to support

the people we serve from “cradle to career,” as we like to say

in Frontier. I don’t think, however, that our saying of “cradle to

career” is quite accurate. I think what we actually practice in our

school division is supporting people from cradle to grave.

I have been honoured to have stood with so many of our

communities and staff through the best and worst of times.

During these difficult times my family has always stood with me

and have been proud of who I am and the work that I do – and

for that, I am grateful.

My wife has never expressed any concern over the only

picture in my office being that of Dolly Parton, but then she

didn’t know until now! I am sure we can likely work it out

through our retirement years.

Formal Education – Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Religious Studies, Bachelor of Education,

Masters in Special Education

Once I found my footing in university, I probably surprised a

number of people, including myself, that I could do the work and

that I thoroughly enjoyed the studies. After six years of university

my wife indicated that it was likely time to wrap it up and find a

job.

Throughout my career, I have always enjoyed and taken

advantage of the many opportunities I have been given to

further my education. I completely believe in the value and

power of education, but I also believe that contrived educational

requirements can become a destructive screening device

imposed on people when there are no practical requirements to

do so.

I have been proud to be associated with a Division and a

Board that give people employment opportunities with the

subsequent requirements and support for further education and

training provided. Following this model, I can say I take great

pride in having played some small part in giving people hope

and opportunities when both are sometimes in short supply.

CareerI graduated at a time when there was a surplus of teachers

andjobswerehardtocomeby. GivenmyMennonitename,

I thought I might be able to trade on that to at least get an

interview in southern Manitoba. But being a somewhat poor

example for the Mennonite name I thought I should turn my

sights to the north.

Despite my less-than-stellar initial rating in the screening

process, an opportunity presented itself to do a volunteer

placement in the community of Moose Lake with Frontier

School Division. I volunteered for a month at the school after

university graduation. At the end of the experience I was offered

an interview by the local school committee.

I have to smile at that experience, which happened so many

years ago. I had the misfortune (or maybe the good fortune) of

being interviewed during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Somebody

would ask me a question, and then return their attention to the

TV in the corner. The volume was turned up so that folks could

hear the plays over whatever it was I had to say. In retrospect, I

should not have worried quite so much about competing with

the game, as they had already witnessed my work over the

previous month. Nonetheless, I was deeply grateful and very

excitedtohavebeenofferedapositionteachingGrade6.

Deb, my two daughters Amanda and Crystal, and I loaded

our belongings into our beat up station wagon and headed

north. The nine years we spent in the community were rich. I

was given opportunities at the earliest stages of my career to

Reflections continued...


assumeformalleadershipresponsibilities.(Goodthingnobody

was checking out my rating in the personnel file, but maybe

they were and just wanted to make sure Deb kept teaching

pottery!) It wasn’t long before I was able to move into resource

and then become the Vice-Principal.

It has been my experience that Frontier School Division has

been a Division of opportunity and has provided unparalleled

support for professional growth. I have always been puzzled

that so many young graduates don’t apply and capitalize on the

fantastic opportunities that are available to them in Divisions

such as Frontier.

In 1992, I was given the opportunity to be the Principal of Mel

Johnson School in Wabowden. I have great memories of my

time there, but if the truth be told, I was terrified of failing. I can

distinctly remember being on playground supervision during

my first week. Some students were acting up and because I

wanted to “set the tone,” I sent them to the office. It suddenly

occurred to me that I was it! What was I doing sending kids to

see me? At that point, I felt very alone.

Having been a superintendent for 14 years, I still believe that

being a Principal is the most demanding and stressful job in the

system. Around March of my first year as Principal, I was pretty

sure I was going to crash big time. During that period of time, I

was reading the classified ads in the Free Press. In among the job

ads were a couple of lines that said: “Interested in riding a bike

across Canada? Call 1-800…” For some reason, I thought that

would be a good idea so I picked up the phone and signed up.

As usual, I hadn’t worried about several salient details such as

not owning a bike, and probably more to the point, discussing

it with my wife. I will spare the painful details, but in the end

I did the ride. I figured if I can ride a bike across Canada, I can

manage being a Principal. Turns out I was right. The funny thing

is I have had to take the ride every time I made a serious move

in my career.

People often have mistaken me for an ardent cyclist given the

three times I ridden across Canada. I usually play along, but the

truth is I only did the rides to regain and keep my balance. For

me, riding across Canada was professional development at its

finest. While I have a deep appreciation for the Caribbean, there

are some issues that just can’t be worked out on the beach even

though for some reason I still keep feeling compelled to try.

I did mention my family has been a great support, didn’t I?

I have spent 14 years in the superintendency. I was honoured

to work for the Board in Beautiful Plains School Division for nine

years before returning to Frontier as Chief Superintendent. I

often joke about the trustees of Beautiful Plains taking a chance

on this guy from northern Manitoba. I say it was a great choice

for them because if something went wrong, I would be easy to

fire as I had no connections whatsoever to anyone in the region!

I could not have asked for a better group of trustees and office

staff than the ones that worked with me for the nine years I was

able to serve as their superintendent.

I am forever grateful to the trustees of Frontier School Division

for giving me the opportunity to serve the Division for the past

five years. I have been surrounded by an incredible group of

people – both trustees and staff – during my tenure. I have lost

track (this will not surprise our Secretary-Treasurer) of the many

innovative and creative initiatives that have been undertaken

in our Division to meet the diverse needs of our students and

their families.

I have been a tireless cheerleader and advocate for our

Division’s innovative approaches to governance and community

development. The governance of our Division exemplifies

grassroots democracy at the level of the people we serve. I

have been proud to have had some small part in working with

and leading one of the most innovative, creative, and energetic

school divisions in Manitoba, if not Canada (I admit I am biased).

And now, I am hearing the oft repeated advice given to

me by numerous staff when I am tempted to expound on

any given topic too long – “less is often more” – so, with that

advice in mind, I will have to save the rest of my stories for

another time. *Frontier Northerner 19


Frontier School Board Chairperson Linda Ballantyne

officially opened the 37th Annual School Committee

Conference on Wednesday evening.

Festivities included the ribbon-cutting and opening of the

2015 Juried Art Show, a banquet, Nikanihk Ohci Foundation,

Inc. fundraising activity, and student performances in the 4th

Annual Frontier Idol and Frontier Rocks contest. *

Conference Opening &Celebration of Achievements

Delegates enjoying the Wednesday evening activities.

Bringing greetings to delegates on behalf of the Province was Minister of Education and Advanced Learning Honourable Peter Bjornson.

Secretary-Treasurer Cattani providing instructions on the N.O.F.I. fund raising activity.

Chairperson Linda Ballantyne opening the Conference.

Minister Bjornson, Chief Superintendent Derksen, and Chairperson Ballantyne cutting the ribbon for the Juried Art show.

Area 3 Superintendent Marti Ford introducing the Frontier Idol and Frontier Rocks performances.


Presentations

The conference theme, “The Power of Choice” was sup-

ported throughout the three days with presentations

from Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, Willow Sweeney, Chris

Scholl, and Dr. Marni Brownell.

An Anishinabe Perspective of Education

Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair is Anishinabe from St. Peter’s/Little

Peguis. He is the Associate Profes-

sor, Native Studies Department at

the University of Manitoba and has

been a national and international

commentator on indigenous issues.

Niigaanwewidam is also a renowned author of various publica-

tions and is also the Editorial Director of the Debwe Series pub-

lished by Portage and Main Press.

He spoke about the evolution of the aboriginal education

system and learning about why we are here, where did we

come from, who are we, and where are we going.

Delegates gave high ratings to Mr. Sinclair’s presentation

with some commenting “Very important to recognize aborigi-

nal culture/education (where we came from) truth about the

history will help us move forward” and “I learned a lot from the

speaker in the short period of time.”

Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair

Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair’s presentation to delegates on the Wednesday morning.

Willow Sweeney role-playing and having fun with delegate Martha Jonasson.

Living Above and Below the Line: Discovering the Power of Choice

Know How to See Things Differently: The Frame

Willow Sweeney is the co-found-

er of “Top 20 Training,” a company

that empowers and supports indi-

viduals to develop their potential.

As a national speaker and trainer

since 2002, Ms. Sweeney has

worked with over 350,000 lead-

ers throughout the United States

focusing on development effec-

tive workplace teams and cultures.

Willow talked about how each person can develop poten-

tial in themselves and in others. She offered advice on think-

ing, working and communicating effectively using “Top 20” and

“Bottom 80,” and seeing the “frame” as benchmarks for success.

Using humorous and thought-provoking personal stories, Wil-

low noted that “life looks different when you are above or below

the line” and encouraged everyone to “be your most effective

self more often.”

Willow’s presentation scored very high with delegates with

somecommenting“Wonderfulspeaker.Gavememanythings

to take home and share not only with my family but my whole

community” and “I learned many things from her.”

Willow Sweeney presented with a token of the Division’s appreciation at the closing of her presentation.


The Heartbeat of Community: Making the Most of our Resourcese

Chris Scholl formed DNA Rhythms in 2007 with the

purpose of bringing people together using the drum as a tool

of communication, celebration and growth. He has performed

professionally for more than twenty-three years, and in the past

nine years has worked in an educational capacity with people

with special needs.

The presentation by Chris was completely hands on and

participants had a musical instrument to use to create and build

the “song” of Frontier. Within minutes of the session, the sounds of

drums and other instruments reverberated throughout the entire

room allowing an opportunity for everyone to speak through

their instruments.

The workshop was filled with teamwork, laughter and energy.

Delegates rated the session highly and commented “Nice way

to get everyone working together – “beating as one” and “We

can only reach our true potential when we all beat to the same

rhythm, same tune.”

An egg-cellent lesson in teamwork by Chris Scholl.

Chris Scholl setting the tone and preparing delegates to make music together.

How are Manitoba Children Doing?

Dr. Marni Brownell is a research

scientist with the Manitoba Centre

for Health Policy and the Manitoba

Institute of Child Health. She is also an

Associate Professor with the Faculty

of Health Sciences at the University

of Manitoba. Dr. Brownell’s research

focuses on child health, well-being and their social determinants.

Dr. Brownell presented “How are Manitoba Children Doing”

using statistics in the recently released Manitoba Centre for Health

Policy report. She asked delegates their opinion on what makes

children healthy or unhealthy, and what makes children fail or

succeed. She touched on the various factors or determinants of

health including prenatal, birth, home environment, health care,

physical environment, community environment including school

involvement, and the broader society.

Delegates rated Dr. Brownell’s session as first rate, noting “very

good information and resources” and “excellent information

presented – we know now where we need to go.” *

Dr. Marni Brownell


Juried Art Show

The Frontier School Board of Trustees believes that fine

arts activities are an important and necessary comple-

ment to the basic or core programs provided in the Division.

Students get a sense of identity and self-esteem when they

are successful in the arts. The Board has supported several ini-

tiatives in the arts including the 15th Annual Juried Art Show

that took place at the Conference Opening and Celebration of

Achievements on the Wednesday evening.

This year’s show featured the talents of 235 students who

submitted a total of 345 works of art from the following schools:

Chan Kagha Otina Dakota Wayawa Tipi School (Birdtail Sioux • Black River Anishinabe School • Cormorant Lake School • Cranberry Portage Elementary • Duke of Marlborough School (Churchill) • Falcon Beach School • Frontier Collegiate Institute (Cranberry Portage) • Frontier Mosakahiken School (Moose Lake) • Gillam School • Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre (Norway House) • Joseph H. Kerr School (Snow Lake) • Matheson Island School •Mel Johnson School (Wabowden) •Minegoziibe Anishinabe School (Pine Creek) • Mountain View School (Barrows) • Peonan Point School • Rorketon School • San Antonio School (Bissett) •Skownan School •Stevenson Island School • Wanipigow School • Waterhen School • West Lynn Heights (Lynn Lake)

The Juried Art Show provides our young artists to have their

work evaluated and adjudicated by professional artists with

each participating student receiving a written critique, and a

cash prize to those who placed first, second and third.

As well, delegates and visitors to the Annual School

Committee Conference voted on their favourite piece with the

winner of the “People’s Choice” award announced at the closing

of the conference. This year’s winner was Peyton McKay a grade

12 student from Minegoziibe Anishinabe for his drawing titled

Soul Leaving the Body. *

Viewing the 15th Annual Juried Art Show.

People’s Choice Award

Soul Leaving Body, Peyton McKay, Minegoziibe Anishinabe School


Juried Art Show

Drawing — Grades 7 & 8

Drawing — Grades 9 & 10

Drawing — Grades 11 & 12, Adult Ed.

Mindful, Tanisha Nabess, Cormorant Lake School1.

You Can’t See Me, Olivia Kent, Black River Anishinabe School1.

Soul Leaving Body, Peyton McKay, Minegoziibe Anishinabe School1.

Master Angler, Liam Friesen, San Antonio School2.

Murder, Randy Ducharme, Cormorant Lake School2.

Northern Lights, Briteen Dysart, Frontier Collegiate Institute2.

Funky Girl, Jillian Wokes, Mountain View School3.

Kitty, William Pronteau, Cormorant Lake School3.

Backyard, Katia Monias, H.B.O.I.E.R.C.3.

Juried Art Show continued...



Printmaking — Grades 7 & 8

Printmaking — Grades 9 & 10

Loon/Medicine Wheel, Cierra Packo, H.B.O.I.E.R.C. 2.

Rabbit, Michael Monias, H.B.O.I.E.R.C.2.

Turtle, Stephanie Robinson, H.B.O.I.E.R.C.3.

Untitled, Matthew McDonald, H.B.O.I.E.R.C.3.

Turtle/Mikinah, Tiffany Paul, H.B.O.I.E.R.C. 1.

Her, Katia Monias, H.B.O.I.E.R.C. 1.

Printmaking — Grades 11 & 12, Adult Ed.

No Entries.


Painting — Grades 7 & 8

Untitled, Carlito Sandy, Chan Kagha Otina Dakota Wayawa Tipi School2. Love, Ruth Olson,

Peonan Point School3.With Flying Colors, Shane Laliberty, Cranberry Portage Elementary1.

Painting — Grades 9 & 10

Tiger, Morley Wright, Cormorant Lake School1. Believing in Life, Tyreshia Muswagon,

H.B.O.I.E.R.C. 2. Sunny, Sonny Francois, Frontier Collegiate Institute3.

Painting — Grades 11 & 12, Adult Ed.

Sun Dance, Desiree Colombe, Mel Johnson School1. Memories, Katia Monias,

H.B.O.I.E.R.C. 2. Teapot with Flowers, Rickita-Rae Spence-Cockerill, West Lynn Heights School3.




Pottery & Sculpture — Grades 9 & 10

Zombie, William Pronteau, Cormorant Lake School1. Untitled, Jaise McKay ,

H.B.O.I.E.R.C.2.

Pottery & Sculpture — Grades 11 & 12, Adult Ed.

Untitled, Ronald Robertson, H.B.O.I.E.R.C.1. NA Vase, Angel Clarke,

H.B.O.I.E.R.C. 2.

Pottery & Sculpture — Grades 7 & 8

Turtle, Sikwan Simpson, H.B.O.I.E.R.C.1. Inukshuk, Waylon Clarke Jr.,

H.B.O.I.E.R.C.2. Mr. Blaine Klippenstein, Hailey Delaronde, Mountain View School3.

A Day at the Beach, Tyler Randall, Gillam School3.

Puzzle Tumbler, Angel Clarke, H.B.O.I.E.R.C. 3.


Crafts — Grades 9 & 10

Eagle, Jonah Berens, Frontier Collegiate Institute1. Images of Churchill, Jacob Olson,

Peonan Point School2. Willow Chair, Eric Gosselin, Mountain View School3.

Crafts — Grades 11 & 12, Adult Ed.

Power Paddle, Robert Brightnose, Frontier Collegiate Institute1. LA Kings Logo, Colby Wastesicoot,

Frontier Collegiate Institute2. Wooden Lamp, Jerrod Simpson, H.B.O.I.E.R.C. 3.

Crafts — Grades 7 & 8

Inuksuk – you are on the right path, Sarah Anderson, Cranberry Portage Elementary1. Wok & Roll, Shane Laliberty,

Cranberry Portage Elementary2. Arrow Head Clock, Hailey Dixon, H.B.O.I.E.R.C. 3.




Digital Photography — Grades 9 & 10

Rainbow, Sage Catcheway, Waterhen School1. Lightbulb, Kecia Albert,

H.B.O.I.E.R.C.2. Vintage Pear, Krysten Sanderson, Frontier Mosakahiken School3.

Bob, Jasmine Lundie, Duke of Marlborough School3.

Digital Photography — Grades 11 & 12, Adult Ed.

Ice Spikes, Corbin Tait, H.B.O.I.E.R.C.1. Sunset Reflection, Mikahla Durey,

H.B.O.I.E.R.C. 2.

Digital Photography — Grades 7 & 8

The Cone, Mitchell Sanderson, Waterhen School1. YTP Bells, Leanna Catcheway,

Waterhen School2. January Sun, Noah Boulette, Wanipigow School3.


Animation — Grades 11 & 12, Adult Ed.Dreams, Desiree Colombe, Mel Johnson School1. Redshirt, Dougie Daigneault and Andrew

Colomb, West Lynn Heights School2.

Enhanced Digital Photography — Grades 7 & 8

Enhanced Digital Photography — Grades 9 & 10

Enhanced Digital Photography — Grades 11 & 12, Adult Ed.

Sad, Nikki Bunka, Duke of Marlborough School1.

Negative Pears, Krysten Sanderson, Frontier Mosakahiken School1.

Parked, Jasmine Lundie, Duke of Marlborough School1.

Plaid, Kathleen Nepitabo, Duke of Marlborough School2.

Blue Pears, Carmen Flett, Frontier Mosakahiken School2.

Lights, Jasmine Lundie, Duke of Marlborough School2.

Red, Corale Chapman, Duke of Marlborough School3.

Desert Pears, Tessa Tobacco, Frontier Mosakahiken School3.

Colorful Bird Scene, Corbin Tait, H.B.O.I.E.R.C. 3.


Student Performances

Frontier Idol and Frontier Rocks Performances

It was a very hard year to decide on whom to choose as

talented singers and bands from across Frontier School

Division auditioned in the hopes of being chosen to represent

their schools at the fourth annual Frontier Idol and Frontier

Rocks competitions held on February 11, 2015. There is so much

talent across our Division that the task becomes more difficult

each year.

AuditionswereopentoallDivisionstudentsinGrades7to

12. The auditioning bands, however, had to have a minimum

of four members and include one fiddler, one guitarist and a

drummer. The decisions made by a small panel of adjudicators

were very difficult but they selected finalists from across the

Division for each of the two competitions. This year, we selected

10 singers or duets and four bands to compete.

On the evening of February 11, the finalists were judged

according to their choice of song, skill level, stage presence, and

overall performance in front of an audience consisting of school

committee members, Division administrators, support staff and

guests.

We were very fortunate to have very experienced and well-

knownartists;GerryBeelen,JasonBurnstick,BlairMcEvoyand

Dan Canyon, as judges for the competition. Cash prizes were

awarded for first, second and third place winners in each

competition. The winners of the voice completion also received

a karaoke machine.

Winners of Frontier Idol

1st Place ColleenGusnowskiandMadiCrawford

2nd Place Lucas Bruneau and Tyler Bruneau

3rd Place Caitlin Baker

Frontier Idol PerformersSchool Singer & Song

GillamColleenGusnowskiandMadiCrawford, I’m on Fire

F.C.I. Angel Murray, Rather Be

Wanipigow Darby Klyne, Sweet Dreams

F.C.I. Jacob Harvey, Wonder Wall

Wanipigow Lucas Bruneau and Tyler Bruneau, Mad World

RorketonAmber Spence and Rose Spence, Daddy’s Hands

Wanipigow Tyler Bruneau, Lazy Song

F.C.I. Michaela Brown, Try

GrandRapids Caitlin Baker, Grenade

Waterhen TessaHuhtalaandGraceWarkentin,Cup Song

Colleen Gusnowski and Madi Crawford won Frontier Idol.

Lucas Bruneau and Tyler Bruneau took second place in the Frontier Idol competition.

Caitlin Baker won third place in Frontier Idol for her rendition of Grenade.


Winners of Frontier Rocks

1st Place Wanipigow Senior Years Fiddle Band

2nd Place 30S Band (F.C.I.)

3rd Place Rapid Express (Leaf Rapids)

This year, while the judges decided on the winners, we

decided to give the conference a glimpse of our up and coming

talent. We invited the Wanipigow Middle Years Band to perform.

ThisGroupofGrade6studentsdidsuchagreat job,wehad

them play two songs. When they were finished, we invited

Lucas Bruneau, accompanied by his younger brother, Tyler, to

the stage to once again do his winning performance of the

2013 Frontier Idol, Gangnam Style.

Frontier School Division congratulates the finalists and

winners and wishes to thank the audition participants, judges

and the volunteers whose efforts and dedication make the

Frontier Idol and Frontier Rocks competitions happen.

Student Performances continued...

Frontier Rocks PerformersBand Members & Song

30S Band (F.C.I.)

Jacob Harvie, Montgomery Mason, Reesha Dubort, Taylor Constant, Sydney Cable, and Felix Okemow performing Seminole Wind.

Michelle Chubb Project (H.B.O.I.E.R.C.)

Michelle Chubb, Tiffany Paul, Matthew Condappa, and Roger Clarke performing Let Me Take Your Hand, an original song by this group.

Rapid Express (Leaf Rapids)

Tremaine Sutherland, John Bushby, Corbin Meunier, Layne Anderson, Dreden Bercier, GerardMeunier,MariaJackson,andAriMc-Donald performing Wagon Wheel.

Senior Years Fiddle Band (Wanipigow)

Tyler Bruneau, Lucas Bruneau, Jadea Dumas, Emily Bushie, Hayley Peebles, Cassie Wood, Darby Klyne, Kara Bjork, Mimi Talifer, Taneesa Daniels, Keena Smith and Madison Clark performing Fox on the Run.

The Wanipigow Senior Years Band won the Frontier Rocks competition.

30S Band took second place in Frontier Rocks.

Rapid Express came in third place in Frontier Rocks.


Frontier Fiddlers Groups of Frontier Fiddlers have performed at events all

across the Province including The Trappers Festival in The

Pas, West End Cultural Centre, Festival du Voyageur, Divisional

functions and Provincial and National conferences.

The goals of the Fiddle program are to provide students

with music instruction; increase student self-confidence;

reintroduce a form of music that was disappearing in northern

communities; and assist schools to build a sense of joint school

and community pride in their music program.

Students are selected from schools across the Division with

a focus on involving as many students as possible, resulting

in membership changing from event to event. The schools

performing at the 2015 Conference were:

•Duke of Marlborough School•MathesonIslandSchool•LeafRapidsEducationCentre•FalconBeachSchool•GrandRapidsSchool•MinegoziibeAnishinabeSchool•FrontierMosakahikenSchool•HelenBettyOsborneIniniwEducationResourceCentre•OscarBlackburnSchool•WanipigowSchool

Christina Cater Memorial Square DancersThis square dance group from Norway House consists of eight

youth ranging in age from 14-19 years. The group is named in

honour of Christina Cater, a young resident of Norway House

who passed away from brain cancer within a year of graduating

from Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre.

Christina was an avid square dancer as well as being a fan of

square dancing. The group’s grey colour was purposely chosen

because the grey ribbon is symbolically used in the fight against

brain cancer.

The Christina Cater Memorial Square Dancers have

performed together for over three years, participating in many

competitions and events including the Norway House Cree

Nation festivals, Peguis First Nation, Fisher River First Nation,

various Divisional events, and the 2014 Manito Ahbee Music

Awards in Winnipeg. The group is the current World Champions

of Square Dancing (2014) at championships held in Reedy Creek

this past August. *

Student Performances continued...


Long Service Awards

The following long service awards were presented by the

Board during the lunch on Thursday.

• Debbie Hatch, Cold Lake School Committee (15 years),

• Donna Calvert, Cold Lake School Committee (15 years),

• Madeleine Handel, Stevenson Island School Committee

(15 years).

Congratulations Debbie, Donna and Madeleine!

Outstanding Contribution Award : School Committee Member

This award was established by the Board in 1998 to recognize

the contribution school committee members have made to the

Division. It is presented to a school committee member who is

“outstanding.”

Criteria for the award include:• Active participation on a school committee,

• Volunteers for activities in the school,

• Participates in Area ad Division activities,

• Holds executive duties and responsibilities,

• Is willing to take training,

• Has good attendance at school committee meetings,

• Is responsive to the community and school concerns,

• Is a long serving member of the school committee.

The Board was pleased to announce Cynthia Devaney as

recipient of the Outstanding Contribution Award. Cynthia has

been a member of the Matheson Island School Committee for

over fifteen years. She has served as Chairperson of her local

school committee and has been a representative on the Area

3 Advisory Committee. Cynthia has devoted countless hours

volunteering for various school activities including fundraising

for school trips, and is a strong advocate for her school.

Some comments from those who nominated her included

“her top priority as a school committee is to ensure that the

children receive the best quality education” and “willingly

support(s) her community by doing, giving and volunteering.”

Congratulations Cynthia! *

Stevenson Island School Committee member Madeleine Handel (second from left) receiving her long service award from Area 3 Trustees Marg Imrie and Tanya Friesen and Board Chairperson Linda Ballantyne.

Cold Lake School Committee Member Debbie Hatch (second from left) receiving her long service award from Area 4 Trustees Marion Pearson and Donna Calvert and Board Chairperson Linda Ballantyne.

Cold Lake School Committee and Area 4 Trustee Donna Calvert (centre) receiving her long service award from Area 4 Trustee and Vice-Chairperson Marion Pearson and Board Chairperson Linda Ballantyne.

Cynthia Devaney from the Matheson Island School Committee (left) receiving the Outstanding Contribution Award – School Committees as presented by Board Chairperson Linda Ballantyne.

Recognition Awards

Nikanihk Ochi Foundation Inc.


The Foundation was established in December 1987 as

a charitable organization to support the students of

Frontier School Division. Nikanihk Ochi is a Cree phrase, which

means “for the future”. N.O.F.I. is administered by a Board of

Directors.

N.O.F.I. provides an organizational framework to promote

education in a variety of ways:

• Scholarships and other financial awards for students

who wish to further their education at a post-secondary

institution, such as a university, college, vocational,

technical, or trades training school,

• Non-monetary donations (e.g. books for school libraries);

• Administration of grant money.

N.O.F.I. is empowered to solicit and raise funds from the

public to support its aim. The Foundation raises funds through

its payroll deduction program for Frontier School Division

employees as well as Division fundraising activities including

the Annual School Committee Conference in February.

This year’s fundraising activities included an event at the

“Conference Opening and Celebration of Achievements” on the

Wednesday evening and a raffle with tickets sold throughout

the conference.

Elimination Draw Winners: Angie Burdett (Winnipeg), Kelly

Jacobson (Cranberry Portage), Dr. Michael Isaac (Winnipeg).

Raffle Draw Winners: Don McCaskill (Thompson), Audrey

Ballantyne(GrandRapids),LindaBallantyne(GrandRapids),Sven

Divay (Bissett).

The Directors of N.O.F.I. extend their thanks to Calm Air

International,CanadInnsDestinationCentreFortGarry,Radisson

Hotel Winnipeg Downtown, Best Western Winnipeg Airport,

Architecture49 Inc., Graham Construction, CommStream,

Perimeter Aviation and Hans Arnold Photography for donating

prices. They also extend their appreciation to the delegates

who participated in the fundraising activities in support of this

worthy cause.

Calling all High School Students!Did you know that you may be eligible to receive a

scholarship from the Nikanihk Ohci Foundation, Inc.? All you

need to do is put paper to pen (or fingers to keyboard) and fill

out an application form for the following scholarships!

The Floyd Tucker Memorial Electrical ScholarshipOpentoaGrade12graduatingstudentwhoisenrolledina

recognized University or Community College in the electrical/

electronic field. An original essay on future career aspirations

is required.

The John W. Milner Memorial ScholarshipOpentoaGrade12graduatingstudentwhoisenrolledin

a recognized University or Community College. An original

essay on environmental issues is required.

Humanitarian AwardOpen to a graduating high school student, graduating

Home Placement student, or Division student transported to

a non-Division school, and must be involved in humanitarian

work in order to be eligible. An completed application form

is required.

For more information on these scholarships contact your

classroom teacher, Principal, or the Board of Directors, N.O.F.I.

at (204) 775-9741. *

frontier school division€¢ n.o.f.i. spring 2015 frontier school division table of contents...

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