As students head back to classrooms on Tuesday, a Cree bilingual school in Saskatoon received a major financial boost.
The Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation announced a $250,000 donation to the St. Frances Cree Bilingual school.
The donation will be used to build a powwow arbour on the school grounds, the first of its kind in the province.
STC Tribal Chief Mark Arcand, who is also co-chair of the of the community development corporation, called it a “historic” day.
“This is a First Nations school for First Nations kids that is open to everybody,” said Arcand. “We are changing the system and it is done through partnership.”
The Tribal Chief says moments like this pave the path forward.
“Our next step is to get this into a high school, we have to keep this momentum going,” he said. “This is history.”
(The St. Frances Cree Bilingual School currently under construction in Saskatoon. The dirt circle at the base of the photo will be the location of the powwow arbour. Photo by Joel Willick)
The St. Frances Cree Bilingual School has been operating in a temporary space since 2007.
In 2022, the province announced nearly $46 million in funding for the construction of a permanent space for the bilingual school.
The school, which is currently under construction, is expected to begin accepting students next fall.
It will have space for over 600 students from kindergarten to grade 9.
(TOP PHOTO: Dignitaries from the Dakota Dunes Community Development Corporation and the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division pose with a $250,000 cheque and a model picture of what the powwow arbour will look like. Photo by Joel Willick.)