Thank you so much Mabel's Fabels

Thank you to Mabel's Fabels customers for donating books to Mikisew School and Downsview S.S. students for the Angels at Mabel's Book Drive. Students from Downsview and Mikisew will now be treated with a brand new book for the holiday season because of you!

Gift wrapped and ready for delivery from Mabel's Fables! Thank you again!

Letter to Bookstore Vendors

Our amazing librarian at Downsview G. Joseph suggested we write a letter to bookstores asking for donations. So we did last night and already we've gotten donations!

A big thanks to:

Another Story Bookshop

315 Roncesvalles Ave. 

Librairie Mosaique Bookstore

La librairie francophone de Toronto - Toronto's French Bookstore

24 Spadina Road

And 

EduCan Media who sent books out today! 

AND of course, Itah Sadu and A Different Booklist for their on-going support and the massive amount of donations by their patrons already! 

Here's the letter:

I am writing on behalf of the high school students of Mikisew School in Cross Lake First Nation, Manitoba. I am a high school teacher with the Toronto District School Board who over the last year has been working with several friends, colleagues and students to engage the youth of Mikisew School, in Cross Lake First Nation after they lost five students to suicide. After learning about the suicide epidemic and state of emergency in Cross Lake, we decided to offer our support and a variety of programs to engage youth including a 3D printer, video workshops, Positive Peer Culture and new books to refresh their library. 

We were able to fundraise and four of us delivered a 3D printer, video workshops and the PPC program in October to Mikisew School. This was only made possible through the generous donations we have received from members of our community and through student run fundraising events at Downsview Secondary School. Currently, we are specifically seeking donations of books to refresh a very small and dated library at their school. Ideally, we hope to generate a wonderful selection of books, with a focus on First Nation, Métis and Inuit authors. Access to good books is so important in education, as books can ignite a desire to learn. Books allow students to connect to others through literature and understand more about themselves and their culture. 

We hope that you will be able to donate books to Cross Lake, and help youth find their own voice through reading. We are specifically seeking donations by Indigenous authors, but any books aimed at teens would be appreciated. For more information about our journey please watch this movie created by students at both schools over a period of workshops done by Garth Jackson, an amazing video editor and friend who came with us to Cross Lake: https://vimeo.com/191823783/d79ee2229e

Any support will be highly appreciated by us and the teens of Cross Lake First Nation and Downsview Secondary School. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me via email. 

Thank you for your time, 

L. Prinn

Book Drive for Mikisew School

The students have started a book drive at school to refresh Mikisew's library in Cross Lake First Mation, Manitoba. 

Many thanks to Itah Sadu from A Different Booklist in Toronto for her on-going support. And Joni Noble who

Just dropped of 8 boxes of books! 

 

A Different Booklist

A huge thank you to Itah Sadu and her bookstore A Different Booklist! They have donated another box of 50 books and continue to seek donations. We are setting up a display tomorrow at school highlighting the book drive.
Students are asking other students to donate books and are really excited to be helping Mikisew get a great library full of the books they love to read!

Sugar Falls

It's hard to believe that just a week ago we where getting back from Pimicikamak Cree Nation/Cross Lake, Manitoba. Before we left Greg Halcrow was kind enough to show us where the Residential School used to stand. It was burned by arson in the 1970's shortly after the school was closed in 1969. The site sits near the towns airport, and was on the water across from town. 

It was incredible that this week while looking for books to send to Mikisew School we came across Sugar Falls, A Residential School Story. This book is based on the true story of Betty Ross, Elder from Cross Lake First Nations. 

It's hard to image those children sitting in that school looking across the water at their homes which would seem so close, but were so very far away. It was really sad seeing the location and standing where so much pain had happened.  

Speaking to Downsview students about this graphic novel in her class, Ms. Prinn commenting about how many of the teens in Cross Lake wouldn't know about residential schools because the stories are too hard to re-tell. One Downsview student could relate to this as his mother is from El Salvador and fled during war times. This student has tried to ask his mother about her past, but she simply can't talk about it. It's to hard and mush too painful. The little he does know is extremely awful. She's seen things no one should every see, especially as a young girl. It was very interesting hearing him speak about this, and how he can understand what it must be like for the Survivors of residential school's children and grandchildren. 

Cross Lake Photos

Ice is starting to form on the Lake. Here are a few photos from around Cross Lake. 

The arena:

 Mikisew School:

 

They are looking at a program that will get the students to paint over the graffiti and create a new fresh look for their school.

Bronx, the neighbourhood beside Mikisew School:
 




Northmart one of two main grocery stores. This is where the Tim Hortons is located in the main part of town.

 

Church on the water across from the Northmart:

 Walking through town back to the 24/7 Hotel:

 Ghost Island:

Cross Lake Airport. Some of the land the airport currently sits on was used by the Residential School. It was used as farmland and the children were forced to work here.

Couldn't have been better

Back in Toronto after a quick week working at Mikisew School in Cross Lake, MN. What an amazing time! It really couldn't have gone better! 

Positive Peer Culture was held with two different groups of students each day, 17 classes were taught SketchUp and how to use the 3D printer, and five groups of students participated in the video workshop with each group making an original movie! 

We hosted a professional development session with staff Wednesday afternoon. This provided information about 3D printing and the video workshops, as well as an in-depth workshop for staff on PPC. 

On Friday we were treated to a feast by staff and students! It was the start of something great! We continue to look for donations of books to reenergize the library, and are looking forward to students and staff visiting Toronto soon!

The Feast

Back in Toronto, and we are all still reflecting on our wonderful trip to work at Mikisew School in Cross Lake last week. On Friday, staff and students put on an amazing Fall Feast. All of the students and staff ate together. We played the news footage from Downsview's Orange Shirt Day, and then the  video Downsview students created to introduce themselves to the students of Cross Lake.

It was so nice hearing the students at Mikisew cheer when they heard good things about their school on the news! And the pride that could be felt as everyone turned to watch familiar faces appeared on screen. The students at Mikisew made five movies throughout the week. All of them took on the personality of the camera people, light and sound personal in charge of each shoot. 

We are very thankful to have met Anna McKay, Mikisew's principal, VP Myrna Blacksmith, and Elaine Beardy the school's Guidance councillor.

 Student dances were fantastic!

Everything was just so perfect. Thank you all again for a fantastic week. We can't wait to see what happens next! Hopefully, we see you in Toronto soon!

Landscapes

Cross Lake has some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets we'd ever seen. The skies lit up pink at 8am and set between 4:30-5:30pm. 

Gord!

Getting off the plane at Perimeter who do we run into but Gordon Hum! The principal from Otter Nelson River School that we started this journey with! 

So amazing to run into him - and completely fitting to how this trip has gone. Everything just making weird sense and eventually coming together! 

His plane has been delayed for three days due to fog in Oxford House where his new school is. We've been invited to come visit and run some workshops up there now too! 

What a fantastic journey! Now to pick up our baggage from the pick up area! 

 

See you later,

We are now at the airport waiting for our plane. We had a lovely slow morning after an incredibly busy week. 

Greg gave us a ride to the airport and we said our "see you laters." 

It's never good bye. 

Greg took us by the site of the old residential school that was burned down long ago. Too bad the impact of that place still carries on. If only it was as easy to wash it away. It is a long journey to reconcile, but it's one we all need to actively participate in and be educated about.

Waiting for our plane we took some photos along the roadside and ran into Elaine and Ronnie on their way to Norway House. It's never good bye. 

 

Mud

Interesting tid bit: it is mud season in Cross Lake. The mud is sticky and everywhere. Expensive Jordan's wouldn't last long here. The mud is so exsensive that students are asked to remove their shoes at the beginning of the school day. Many students wear stocking feet, slippers or mocassins throughout the day because the floors would be too messy if everyone kept on their boots or shoes.

It made the classroom feel like you were at home actually. Of few of us also took off our heavy mud caked footwear during the day. 

 

Friday

So truly honoured. We were the guests of honour at the fall feast today and it was magnificent. All of the students and staff ate a great feast of moose, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, salad and dessert.

We played the news clip from CTV featuring the students of Downsview talking about Mikisew which was met with cheers from Mikisew students! They were so happy and honoured and thankful that money had been raised by many of you to get them a 3D printer, books and PPC. 

I can not express enough how truly welcomed we felt by everyone. This place will always hold a special wonderful place in our heart, one that we will not let go. We are looking forward to continuing to work together. 

There is such a mix of feelings as our last day at Mikisew comes to an end. There's still so much we want to do! The week went so fast we would love to stay longer. 

More students were in designing keychains. Evelyn will continue to print them next week. The keychains were all very different and wonderful! When one student made a "Randy Rhodes" keychain Ms. Prinn was in awe and said is that your name? He laughed and she said wow I thought you were named after Ozzy Osborne's guitar player. He was impressed I think. 

Judi and Monica have really made some wonderful connections with the PPC students and I know they will miss them dearly. Of course it is not over. Plans are also in the works to have them visit us in Toronto which would be so great! 

Garth was able to complete interviews in the morning and then show all of the videos that Downsview students created as well as the clips that Mikisew students 

created this week. Everyone at the feast was cheering! It was fantastic! The students did an amazing job capturing the beauty around them. 

Dancers put on an incredible show dancing in regalia to the live drum circle and singing of the Otter River Singers. We were also treated to the amazing jig of students and the local jigging group who were unbleievable! Their feet move so fast - it's really amazing to witness.

Elaine, Myrna and Anna honoured us with this wonderful afternoon showcasing tradition and even gave us wonderful gifts! We can't believe the overwhelming kindness and generosity. After the "feast" and showcase staff and students then shook our hands as they left the auditorium wishing us safe travel and thanking us for coming. We can not wait to see everyone again either in Toronto, online or back in Cross Lake. This is really truly the start of something that doesn't end here. 

There are plans for several students and staff to visit Toronto at the end of November and then again a bus load of students is set to be competing in the Indigenous games in July 2017. We know who we'll be cheering for! Go Cross Lake!!!

 

This evening we ate another feast at Greg and Betty Lou's house. What an amazing group of people! Elaine, Chloe and Ronnie joined us for a wonderful evening of food and friends. What a week! We will definitely need to start planning for their visit to Toronto. 

And Halloween is huge up here! Their house is the place to get the best candy and tricks in town! It's spooktacular!!! We all can not wait to be back - especially during Halloween!