ASHMONT - Ashmont School graduate and class valedictorian George Houle was the recipient of an Honouring Spirit: Indigenous Students Award during a ceremony on June 25 in Edmonton. The award is in recognition of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit students who have shown commitment, strength, and potential in pursuing their education while celebrating their tradition.
Houle was the Central Region recipient of the award in the Grades 10-12 category. He said he was grateful to receive the award and felt that it also honoured his grandfather, who passed away last October.
“I felt like my world ended, I felt like I passed away with him,” he said. “I told myself that I can't give up on my education, and I can't stop where I am, and I must move forward to honour nimosôm [Cree: my grandfather], because nimosôm was a very strong and inspiring man.”
As a child growing up, Houle says he never tried hard at school, nor did he ever care about education. He never experienced receiving an award, hence, his initial confusion of being among the 12 recipients of the Honouring Spirit: Indigenous Students Award.
"My family - we live paycheck to paycheck growing up, and I never really got to experience many things and that made my confidence really low,” said Houle. "But now that I'm older, my family has gotten better, and I get more support especially in academics."
Houle also advises students to never give up and keep going, saying, “Life will give you a hundred reasons to give it all up and cry. Give life a million reasons to keep going, to stay strong, and be successful.”
He added, "I realized myself that a lot of people depend on me, my ancestors depend on me to keep going and to just be successful and to break that intergenerational trauma caused by residential schools.”
Indigenous people do not receive much recognition from the government, according to Houle. Thus, it felt “great” to be recognized as an Indigenous person. The awards ceremony was held in Government House and attended by Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange and Alberta’s Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhana, among others.
It was Houle's English teacher, Claire Holliday-Cardinal, who nominated him. Cardinal described Houle as a hard-working student and a positive role model, in a news release announcing the award. Houle now plans to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Alberta this fall.
The awards categories are split into three region - North, Central, and South. Each region has a total of 12 awards within four sub-categories: K-3, Grades 4-6, Grades 7-9 and Grades 10-12.
Every year, the Honouring Spirit: Indigenous Student Awards recognize students who are an inspiration to their peers, teachers, education leaders, and community leaders, according to the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) website.
"The determination, resiliency and community spirit these students have shown serves as a great model of inspiration for others," stated Marilyn Dennis, President of Alberta School Boards Association, in a June 25 news release. "I am both humbled and honoured to recognize this year's recipients, celebrate their accomplishments and learn from their capacity to excel and lead."
ASBA sponsors the award with the support of the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Alberta Education, the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS), Alberta School Councils' Association (ASCA) and Alberta Teacher's Association (ATA).
