Photo courtesy muskowekwan.ca
A big school breakfast was held today to celebrate a winning effort at the Muskowekwan school, about 160 kilometers north of Regina. The school is 1 of 10 in the province to be awarded a $10,000 cheque in the Mosaic extreme school makeover challenge.
The challenge is all about encouraging schools to come up with initiatives to improve student nutrition.
This was the second time Muskowekwan entered the contest. Last year it lost but this year it was a winner.
School principal, Sharon Windigo, couldn’t believe their good luck.
“Oh my God, we were yelling and screaming and I was running all over the school to tell the teachers and the students and everyone was so excited,” she said.
While a big industrial dishwasher is not something most school children can get excited about, Windigo says they are super excited to be hosting the event.
“They will be running the whole show today, we have student greeters to meet the dignitaries at the door, we have a student MC, “ she said. “When we do events like this the students handle the whole thing and the teachers just kind of stand back and watch.”
Windigo says the appliances at the school are pretty old and worn out and are at least 18 years old. She says a lot of them are even older and were donated from the old Muskowekwan residential school when it closed in 1996.
Mosaic and the Saskatchewan school boards association have been hosting the challenge since 2006.
“Each year we have the opportunity to visit a winning school and take part in the Walk to Breakfast,” said Sarah Fedorchuk, Mosaic’s Senior Director, Public Affairs. “It’s great to see the project come to life with the grant funding Mosaic provides, but what’s even better is seeing the students’ excitement about what the changes will do for their school and its nutritional environment.”
“Muskowekwan School can be proud for being chosen as one of the top 10 schools in Saskatchewan for your work to promote a healthier learning environment for students,” said Larry Doke, Minister Responsible for First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs.
Many schools submitted projects to compete for a total of $100,000 in prizes, provided by Mosaic. Other schools receiving grants this year are part of the Good Spirit, Greater Saskatoon Catholic, Northwest, Prairie South, Saskatchewan Rivers, Saskatoon Public and Horizon school divisions; the Conseil des écoles fransaskoises; and, Key First Nation.