LAC LA BICHE – Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement recently received a 2024 Friends of Education Award from Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS).
Representatives of Buffalo Lake council, including board chair Stan Delorme, were on hand to accept the designation during the NLPS board of trustees’ June 11 meeting in Lac La Biche.
According to information from NLPS, the purpose of the Friends of Education Award is to recognize individuals and community organizations who have made special contributions to education within the public school division.
Learning that Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement was going to be presented with the award, came as a surprise, though one that was most welcomed, according to Delorme.
“It’s greatly appreciated. Naturally, any time you get an award for some accomplishment that’s been made, is always a good thing,” he stated.
According to NLPS, Buffalo Lake Métis Settlement has supported breakfast programs and cultural activities at Caslan School. Officials with Buffalo Lake have also been advocating for a new school in the community, which is located about 50 kilometres from the hamlet of Lac La Biche and is the only Métis settlement in Alberta without an on-site school.
Currently, Kindergarten to Grade 8 students from Buffalo Lake are bused to Caslan School, while students in Grade 8-12 attend school in Lac La Biche.
In March, the government of Alberta approved pre-planning funding for a new school for Buffalo Lake.
The pre-planning funding provided by the provincial government will be used for community consultation and to determine the scope of the project for the eventual construction of a new school in the community.
Speaking further about the award, in recent years there has been a lot of cooperation with the NLPS board of trustees. The division has returned the favour, says Delorme.
“The new school that we proposed, the Northern Lights school division has been very supportive in that respect,” he said.
Karen Packard, board chair of the NLPS board of trustees, who presented the Friends of Education Award, spoke about the relationship between the school division and Buffalo Lake.
“Buffalo Lake has been an amazing partner for a very long time, always working to provide the best opportunities for the children of the settlement, and we just really appreciate that,” Packard said.
