Grade 12 is a big year for young people; it can be very busy, emotional and overwhelming, but it is also a time for celebration.
That is what 100 Grade 12 students from across Greater Victoria got to do May 7, as they came together at Sooke’s Camp Thunderbird for the Na’Tsa’Maht Grade 12 Gathering.
Primarily, the event brought together Indigenous students – although open to everyone – from across Greater Victoria with Sooke School District, Victoria School District, Saanich School District and the Wsanec School Board.
The event has been held for four years and grown little by little over that time. This year, for the first time, Camp Thunderbird will also welcome Grade 8 classes from across Victoria on May 8, for a similar event celebrating their transition to high school.
“We were trying to find ways to work more collaboratively together as school districts to honour students' families across the south Island,” said Jon Carr, district principal of Indigenous education for the Sooke School District. “So, breaking down those school district boundaries and coming together as family.”
The event is centred around learning on the land and gives students the opportunity to meet with elders and peers, while also engaging in activities rooted in Indigenous knowledge. That includes cedar harvesting and crafting, beading and jigging, canoeing, archery and drumming.
“I’m really looking forward to trying out archery, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the cedar harvesting being done again. I haven’t gotten to see that since I was pretty little, and drumming is always a great thing,” said Jenna Welch, a student from Westshore Secondary School.
“I’m excited to be outside and spend time with everybody. I don’t know that many people here, but I’m pretty outgoing, so I’m sure I’ll meet some people.”
To other students like Lily Schaefer from Edward Milne Community School, it’s an opportunity to spend time with the Elders she has grown up around.
“I’m looking forward to hanging out with my Elders and meeting some new people; there are a lot of new faces. I think it’s really cool that we get to have something like this,” said Schaefer.
“Just because they’re not your kokum, doesn't mean they’re not now your kokum. They become your grandparents. They will do whatever they can to make sure that you’re learning the knowledge and that they’re passing it down to you, because they care about you.”
Schaefer is also looking forward to some of the day's activities.
“I’m quite excited for the Coast Salish art. That’s going to be really cool. It’s not something I know much about. I’ll also be doing archery, so I’ve got that Katniss Everdeen vibe going, hopefully, if I can hit anything.”
To Carr, the ability to connect with peers, elders and educators is a big part of why they began hosting this gathering four years ago.
“It helps [students] find community and family as they’re transitioning out of Grade 12, which can be a really overwhelming experience and knowing that there is support for Indigenous students moving into the next stage of life,” said Carr.
The opportunity for connection is one that the Elders enjoy just as well.
“I love mingling with the students, the majority of them I do know. If they’re not family, I’ve watched them since Grade 9 all through school, and it’s a time for them to have fun today and let their hair down,” said Elder Jackie Planes, the Elder in residence at Edward Milne Community School.
“It’s so that they can go out and know how to canoe and know how to embroider and bead. They're learning our culture. They go down and drum and learn our songs,” said Planes.
“It’s nice to see that they are interested in our ways and willing to learn, and that’s been an awesome experience for me and for them.”
