HEART LAKE - Students and staff at Heart Lake Cree Nation's Kohls School – and the Heart Lake Community members – are hoping to continue a unique partnership next school year with students and staff at a school in Edmonton where Sikhism is infused into the curriculum.
Through the school year that just ended, students from Kohls School on Heart Lake First Nation and the Gobind Sarvar School in Edmonton have participated in cultural exchanges designed to teach each other about their respective Cree and Sikh cultures.
The partnership between the two schools came about after Harrang Kaur, the principal at Gobind Sarvar, started communicating with Kohls School principal Darlene Brereton-Cardinal in January of 2023.
From that initial connection, students and staff from the two schools have shared video presentations and even a few in-person class visits. It has been a learning experience for everyone, says Brereton-Cardinal.
Gobind Sarver School students from kindergarten to Grade 4, follow a curriculum based on the beliefs of Sikhism and the teachings of Sabib Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Kohls School, says Brereton-Cardinal, integrates the Cree culture and language into all learning aspects within the school. Though the two cultures are different in many ways, the partnership has shown many similarities and general points of common ground
During the recent school year, Kohls students visited their Sikh friends in Edmonton for a cultural experience that included elder teachings, traditional food, dance performances, history lessons. It was the second visit to the school from the Heart Lake group over the last two years.
“Once again, it was an amazing experience,” Brereton-Cardinal said, complementing the students and staff of the Edmonton school as “excellent ambassadors for their culture.”
While there, they participated in Sikh morning meditations and songs, which were followed by a traditional lunch featuring Punjabi food.
Brereton-Cardinal explained that afterward, the students split into groups where they were given more education on Sikh beliefs and traditions, including the art of henna - ink-drawn designs applied to hands, feet and different parts of the body, mandalas – or dot artwork, the different turban styles, games, and a tour of the school.
The Sikh students of Gobind Sarvar have also been to Heart Lake, to be immersed in the local Cree culture. The visiting Sikh students participated in various activities, including traditional games, tipi teachings, beading, and a powwow. There was also drumming and a round dance.
“The staff also turned the culture classroom into a museum with traditional regalia, and many artifacts,” Brereton-Cardinal said.
The cultural exchanges between the two schools have been an important part of building relationships-as well as breaking down barriers, she said, adding that Kohls School staff and Heart Lake administration is looking forward to expanding the cultural exchanges. Each year, said Brereton-Cardinal, the partnership introduces those cultures to new students and staff.
“The two schools now consider themselves sister schools,” she said. “There are so many similarities between the cultures that they wouldn’t have known about without these cultural exchanges.”
