To better reflect being situated on traditional Secw茅pemc land, the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District 83 (SD83) is pursuing a name change to include a meaningful Indigenous word.
In a report to the May 21 school board meeting, director of Indigenous education Chelsea Prince said that since the current name was first adopted in 1997 when the Armstrong-Spallumcheen and Shuswap school districts amalgamated, the Quelm煤cw Education Council has been disappointed with it for a couple of reasons. She explained that though the Armstrong area is on territory jointly claimed by the Syilx Okanagan and Secw茅pemc peoples, the district as a whole is in the latter.
91裸聊视频淧ositioning 91裸聊视频楴orth Okanagan91裸聊视频� before 91裸聊视频楽huswap91裸聊视频� may not have been intended as prioritizing one area over the other, but that is how it can be perceived,91裸聊视频� Prince pointed out in the report. 91裸聊视频淚n addition, the word 91裸聊视频楽huswap91裸聊视频� is an outdated and historically incorrect term invented by settlers, which is really the word 91裸聊视频楽ecw茅pemc91裸聊视频�.91裸聊视频�
She added, however, that the district has come a long way since then and have developed meaningful relationships with local First Nations, which includes Splatsin, Neskonlith, Skwl膩x and Adams Lake, and identified reconciliation as a value in the strategic plan.
Splatsin education director Darrell Jones, who presented Prince91裸聊视频檚 report, agreed that progress has been made, though it hasn91裸聊视频檛 always been easy.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e been working for our band for a very long time, like 38 years, and91裸聊视频� I was here when the amalgamation happened91裸聊视频�,91裸聊视频� he told the board. 91裸聊视频淚 mean, I do recall where there was never a land acknowledgement at that time to where we are today.
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 many other things that the district has worked on, I91裸聊视频檓 not saying that it hasn91裸聊视频檛, but it was also a bit of a grind.91裸聊视频�
For the name change, Prince said the Quelm煤cw Education Council has compiled a list of potential Secw茅pemcts铆n words to consider, and will narrow that down to a short list to be presented to elders and communities to 91裸聊视频渕ake sure that we91裸聊视频檙e capturing the right idea.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淥ne consideration that we discussed at length was that whatever word that91裸聊视频檚 chosen, it doesn91裸聊视频檛 have to mean school, it doesn91裸聊视频檛 have to mean learning,91裸聊视频� Prince explained. 91裸聊视频淚t should have something to do with the partnership between the communities and school district and should be a word that people can learn to pronounce so that we adopt it and use it and feel comfortable using it.91裸聊视频�
Trustee Tennile Lachmuth said she91裸聊视频檇 be happy to support the name change and made a motion that the board pursue a partnership with the four bands to change the district91裸聊视频檚 name to include a Secw茅pemcts铆n word or phrase, with that carried unanimously.
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