Honouring spirit and feeling like a princess

BONNYVILLE – It was a day that Korianna Ballard, a Grade 3 student from Ardmore, likely won’t forget for years to come.  

On June 25, when Ballard entered the Government House in Edmonton to accept an Honouring Spirit: Indigenous Student Award presented by the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA), she felt like a princess for a day, she told Lakeland This Week. 

“It looked like a big ginormous castle,” Ballard said, describing the government building tucked into the North Glenora neighbourhood. 

Ballard was among 12 First Nations, Métis and Inuit students from across the province who were invited to attend the intimate ceremony to collect awards that recognized each student’s “exemplary leadership, courage, and commitment to their cultures and educational paths.” 

Ballard was nominated for the ASBA award by her homeroom teacher Chantel Pitcher. 

Pitcher described Ballard as a kind and thoughtful student who eagerly embraces and models her cultural identity in a media release by Northern Lights Public Schools.

"She proudly wears her ribbon skirt to school and happily tells students and staff what the skirt represents and why she enjoys wearing it,” expressed Pitcher. 

“It was wonderful to see the positive impact that Korianna has on others... The impact she has had on our school and community will continue to grow with each year and I am so grateful to be a part of her journey.” 

When considering why she received the award, the eight-year-old said, “They gave it to me because I showed my class and (taught) my class about being Indigenous and how Canada was called Turtle Island.” 

Ballard explained that most of what she knows about Indigenous culture she learned from her friend Brant Janvier, a liaison who provides cultural planning for kids.  

So, when Ballard was encouraged by her teacher to do a presentation on her Dene culture, Janvier was the first person the Ardmore student turned to for information and advice. 

“Brant Janvier helps me because he is also Indigenous, and he knew all this stuff,” she said 

“We called Brant and did a couple of Facetimes and he helped us with some of the history because they are both from the Dene background,” added Ballard’s mother Teri. 

During her presentation, Ballard introduced her classmates to the Dene language, teaching them a few words, sharing the alphabet with them, and showed them an app they could use to learn to speak Dene at home.  

She also brought in mitts, mukluks, her headband and ribbon skirt. Ballard explained how each item was made and shared the significance and symbolism of the beadwork that adorned the items. 

With her Grade 3 presentation behind her, Ballard acknowledges she has more to discover when it comes to her Indigenous roots. 

“There is still so much to learn about my Dene culture, and I am excited to share what I learned with my classmates,” she said. 

And while speaking to her class may have caused the feeling of butterflies in her stomach, receiving her award was a far more intimidating experience.  

“It was scary, but then when I went to get my award, it felt good,” she said. “I feel really proud of myself.” 

The Ardmore student had prepared a thank you speech for when she received her award, but in the end, she decided not to read it. 

“Well, I was going to speak, but then I was too scared and sat down,” she said with a giggle. 

The Star Blanket 

During the awards ceremony, Ballard got to meet very important people like Alberta’s Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani and the Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange, but she says one of the best parts was receiving a Star Blanket.  

“It means my ancestors will stay with me at all times,” said Ballard.  

With a little extra prompting from her mom, she added, “When they wrap the blanket around you it's like your ancestors are hugging you.” 

The Star Blanket Ballard received was designed with some of her favourite colours: pink, red and purple. 

A few days later, Ballard was recognized again during an awards ceremony at her elementary school. 

“On the last day of school, when everybody got their awards, they gave me a certificate of recognition and they also gave me this bag with a blanket and a sunflower squishy, and a pen and a notebook, and there was sunflower seeds,” she recounted with excitement. 

The entire experience was so positive that Ballard says she will have to get her teacher a card, flowers and some ice cream to thank her for nominating her for the award. 

Honourable mention 

Another student from the Bonnyville area received provincial recognition for the contributions they made to their school’s community.   

Nataliah Bigstone, a Grade 8 student from H.E. Bourgoin Middle School (HEB), received an Honourable Mention after being nominated for the Honouring Spirit Award. 

Bigstone was nominated by her principal Tracy Casselman and teacher Teri Huntley. 

“Nataliah stands out to me and other staff as a youth who has pride in her culture, educates others, embraces her own strengths, and is true to her authentic self,” stated Casselman in a NLPS press release. 

Casselman expressed that she is a role model for other students, who often go to her for strength and assistance with problems they are dealing with. 

The Grade 8 student was also the winner of a recent class Bannock Bake-Off. 

Bigstone serves on two leadership committees at her school – Community Helpers and the Journeys Leaders group. Both committees promote mental health and wellness and serve to create pathways of hope and empathy in the school community. 

“We are proud to have Korianna and Nataliah as students in our division and we are grateful that they have chosen to share their knowledge and culture with other students,” said NLPS Board Chair Karen Packard in a statement. 

A Grade 12 student from Goodfish Lake, George Houle, also received an Honouring Spirit Award.