Thursday afternoon was a time for the students of the Braided Journey program at John Paul II Collegiate to celebrate Christmas.
This was the second year the program held a Christmas dinner and it was another opportunity to develop fellowship among the First Nation and Métis students and make them feel welcome at the high school.
Braided Journey, with the guidance of graduation coach Shalen Fox, has been successful in improving graduation rates for First Nation and Métis students. John Paul II Collegiate has one of the top graduation rates in the province for indigenous students.
Families were also invited to meet staff in a relaxed and informal setting.
Fox said the idea for the dinner was to “build relationships to make sure our students are comfortable in the school and make sure our parents are comfortable coming into the school. That’s the biggest thing.”
The meal itself stayed true to the traditions and values of First Nation culture. It started with traditional drumming from John Paul II students and a prayer.
There was a wide selection of food that students and teachers either brought from home or cooked in the home economics lab.
About 150 to 200 people showed up and the students welcomed the opportunity to have a Christmas dinner at the school with their families.
Eve, a Grade 10 student, said the food was “awesome” and appreciated the opportunity to “get together and meet new people, share memories.”
Thunder, a Grade 11 student, liked the idea of holding a Christmas meal at the school because there are a lot of people “that don’t have Christmas dinners, and we have it for them.”
