‘If he could do it, then I could’: Sakewew High blends Terry Fox run with tributes to Decoteau and Wenjack

“Terry Fox is inspirational, probably one of the greatest Canadian activists there is,” he said. “And what he ran for is pretty incredible, and that kind of gave me motivation to keep doing the same thing as him.”

Fox was 18 when cancer cost him his right leg. From Port Coquitlam, B.C., he set out to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research — a mission that continues to inspire and fundraise worldwide.

Students participated in the event Friday. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

(Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW staff)

For more than 20 years, Sakewew’s annual walk has honoured Fox — but also two other names.

Students also walk for Alex Decoteau, a Cree Olympian, soldier and Edmonton police officer from Red Pheasant First Nation, and for Chanie Wenjack, an Anishinaabe boy who fled residential school in the 1960s and died trying to walk home in extreme cold.

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Instructor Damien Schmidt, who has organized the event since 2002, said including Decoteau and Wenjack reflects Sakewew’s identity as an Indigenous cultural school.

“Whether we’re talking about Terry or Chanie or Alex, it’s about the indomitable spirit, never giving up, finishing what you start,” Schmidt said.

“The Cree word for that, for perseverance, determination, willpower is âhkamêyimow.”

Dezminn Thomas, a Grade 12 student at Sakewew High School, takes part in the annual Terry Fox Walk on Friday in North Battleford. The event also honours Alex Decoteau and Chanie Wenjack. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW staff)

He said students may not always connect with the stories at first, but over time they begin to understand why the walk matters.

“Some of them just go on the walk, the jog or the run, just to be a part of the school community, and they don’t realize the story behind Terry, Chanie or Alex,” Schmidt said.

“But after they realized why we’re walking, why we’re jogging, why we’re running, why we’re doing this on an annual basis… the changes we see in our students is that they’re more willing,” he said.

“They’re more apt to hear a person’s story before they prejudge… they’re more willing to sit down with an elder and learn about their culture.”

Over the years, Schmidt said he has also seen students take those lessons further — volunteering at school events, helping elders, refereeing games, mentoring younger students, and contributing to cultural activities.

Sakewew High School in North Battleford. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW staff)

The event is also a fundraiser. Each student and school staff member brings at least a loonie, with all donations going to the Terry Fox Foundation. On average, the school raises about $200 a year. Over two decades, Schmidt estimates they’ve contributed close to $5,000.

The Terry Fox Foundation has raised over $900 million for cancer research so far during its 45-year span.

Schmidt credited Sobeys for sponsoring the run and providing bottled water, and the school nutrition team for organizing the post-walk barbecue.

For Thomas, though, the takeaway was simple.

“It felt nice, to be honest, took a lot of weight off.”

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Kenneth.Cheung@gmail.com

by Kenneth Cheung

‘If he could do it, then I could’: Sakewew High blends Terry Fox run with tributes to Decoteau and Wenjack

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