PRINCE ALBERT — The Prince Albert Catholic School Division’s Michif language program will continue in the next school year after the division received approval for a $150,000 funding application.
The division’s program is part of the Michif Early Learning Pilot Project (MELPP) that began in partnership with Métis Nation-Saskatchewan. PA Catholic Education Director Lorel Trumier said the MN-S’ support was important to keep the program going.
"Metis Nation-Saskatchewan has done so much to support our Metis students, and the fact that we're going to have a renewed partnership with them for the fall for the Early Learning Language project is just thrilling,” Trumier said.
Trumier said there have always been concerns about the program’s sustainability, so she’s encouraged to see continued support.
“We don't want to take it for granted,” she said. “We see so many good things that come out of it.”
The project offers a full-time kindergarten program that includes Michif language programming.
The program employs a language knowledge keeper to support language development. Students attend full-day classes from Monday to Thursday at St. Michael. The school was selected because it had the highest number of Metis students.
The MN-S announced the expansion to the early learning language pilot projects in 2021.
The language has fewer than 700 fluent speakers in Canada. According to MN-S, both the MELPP and the sister project, the Dene Early Learning Pilot Project (DELPP), are significant and unprecedented steps in preserving Métis culture. The pilot was originally announced in September 2020.
The division was also successful in their application for a $20,000 grant to fund a unique Métis project or initiative. St. Michael will use this funding to purchase moccasins for Kindergarten students to wear during special occasions. It will also be used to fund a Métis Celebration for the school with beading and jigging. The funding will also be used for Family Fiddle Days with Donny Parenteau.
“You can see some of the funding and some of the applications that were mentioned last night (May 5) for unique equipment and resources that those children will have access to, not to mention access to learning the language of the Michif people,” Trumier said.
The grant will also be used to purchase additional classroom resources to enhance Métis culture. These included mini fur-trapping tents, play canoes, Métis dolls, jigging shoes and animal puppets.
The funding from the grant must all be spent before the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
In Saskatchewan, there are currently over 130 Kindergarten and Pre-K students learning both Michif and Dene.
The board approved a motion to continue the Michif Early Learning Program at St. Michael during their meeting on May 5.
