Cree

Our Cree Department at EJSHS includes two Cree teachers and two Cree language assistants who teach and model the Cree language to students from grades 7-12. All students receive Cree Language Classes every day in junior high and the classes are assigned by gender in order to provide gender specific language instruction. Cree 10, 20, and 30 are offered to High School students in each semester.

Cree language and culture is integrated into all aspects of our daily school experiences. We hold daily morning assemblies with our school Drum Group singing the Flag Song live, then our Cree prayer, and morning announcements including our Cree Word of the Week.

Some examples of Cree cultural events include our annual pipe ceremony, round dances, feasts, hand game tournaments, Elder visits, and our year-end pow wow.

This year some of our Land Based Education activities our Cree classes will take part in include sweet grass picking, drum making, learning to put up and take down the tipi, a field trip to Blackfoot Crossing to commemorate the signing of Treaty Six, and learning about the usage of animals such as duck and buffalo.

Monthly Cree language classes are planned for all staff to attend during our embedded collaboration time on Wednesdays. Staff and students are highly encouraged to use, model, and promote Cree language whenever, and wherever possible throughout each school day.