"We know students without hope aren't going to come to school," was the message of a presentation to John Paul II Collegiate staff Monday.
The kids were out of school, but the teachers were busy learning. The day's agenda included a presentation by the woman behind one of the country's most successful programs to improve First Nation, Métis and Inuit graduation rates.
Pamela Sparklingeyes, who has 20 years of experience supporting indigenous students attending Edmonton Catholic schools, was the guest speaker. She heads up a program that has improved one school's on-time graduation rates for FNMI students from 14 per cent to 60 per cent over five years.
The program is being modelled by John Paul II Collegiate, which has received funding from the Ministry of Education through the Treaty 6 Education Council to establish a high school graduation coach program. North Battleford Comprehensive High School and Sakewew High School have also received funding from the total of $300,000 and they have all hired grad coaches who will work directly with First Nation students and their families to help them meet their Grade 12 requirements.
The graduation coach program gives students hope, said Sparklingeyes.
"It's about giving them hope through career development, giving them some goals and the desire to make some good choices for themselves," she said.
At JPII, a former homework room, a bright, sunlit space, is now the Braided Journeys Room. (The same name is being used at NBCHS and Sakewew, keeping in mind those students who might move from one school to another.)
It's crucial to create a gathering space, said Sparklingeyes. It needs to be a large enough space for students to come together, to grow community and to support each other, she said.
"Positive peer support naturally happens if you have that space," she said.
Principal Carlo Hanson said the Braided Journeys Room is already a busy place, although this early in the year it is still a work in progress. He noted it is set up as an academic space.
"They won't go up there and sit on couches," he said. "Kids are there for academic reasons."
Because the program is about facilitating student achievement in order to meet graduation requirements, it needs full-time staff, says Sparklingeyes, and it's important for graduation coaches to be teachers. Shalen Fox has been hired to be JPII's graduation coach. He earned his bachelor of education degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 2011 and is himself a graduate of John Paul II Collegiate.
The graduation coach program was first implemented in the American state of Georgia. It has been since adapted to meet the needs of aboriginal students in South Dakota.
Sparklingeyes saw that the role of the graduation coach resonates with traditional aboriginal culture, where adults have provided friendship, guidance and support to children and youth outside of their own immediate families.
In 2009, Sparklingeyes, the program manager for aboriginal learning services at Edmonton Catholic Schools, established the program at St. Joseph High School in central Edmonton. Its success has seen it expanded to three more high schools in Edmonton.
The object is to increase retention and graduation rates for FNMI learners, using a holistic approach addressing social, emotional, and spiritual needs as well as academic achievement.
The program focuses on: building close, supportive relationships with students; supporting transitions between middle school and high school and high school and post-secondary school; developing a sense of belonging through cultural activities; exposing students to career possibilities and supporting their pursuits; academic support through tutoring, course planning, peer mentoring and role modeling; and encouraging parental engagement through dialogue between parents, school and student.
The grad coaches in the Edmonton high schools offering the program are often the first person students see on the first day of school. They are at the door greeting students, said Sparklingeyes, and they are often a familiar face from transition programming prior to the opening of the school year.
It's important students feel comfortable and welcomed. Even preparing them with information such as how to use their locker, what to wear for physical education, the difference between various courses, all simple things that can be done with a little time and effort, said Sparklingeyes. The success rate will automatically increase if students have a relationship before they get there.
She also shared information on the variety of supports her department has found to impact urban indigenous students, such as a district career day, mentoring programs with industry leaders, partnerships with post-secondary programs, job fairs and youth leadership programs.
She reminded her audience research says young people with mentors do better in school.
"We all know that it's mentors that make the difference," she said. "One caring adult in an at-risk student's life can make all the difference."
She also talked about their Honouring Day for indigenous graduates, featuring indigenous leaders and ceremonies along with the caps and gowns. Many FNMI students don't attend regular graduation celebrations because they can't afford it or because they don't feel they fit in, she said.
Cultural activities during the school year are also important, she said, and can be as simple as opening the school gym for powwow nights or cultural gatherings. Students and parents become more comfortable and engaged with the school, and they have a chance to share their culture with others. It builds self esteem and self identity amongst the students.
"You can't even measure that," she said, and it impacts how they perform in school.
As an example, she pointed to the Rainbow Spirit Dance Troupe, which she co-founded in 1996, through which students learn cultural protocols, build their self identity and perform for high profile audiences, such as Queen Elizabeth II during the 2005 royal visit.
Throughout it all, each student has an action plan. It may evolve and change between Grade 9 and 12, said Sparklingeyes, but everything they do is related to curriculum, so they are earning the credits they will need to graduate.
Sparklingeyes said she was impressed with the JPII's graduation rates, which are the highest ever this year for FNMI students and non-FNMI students.
"You guys have been doing a lot of things right here," she said.
