Grade 6 students at McKitrick Community School received their Living the Sacred Teachings books in front of family and friends at Tuesday’s elementary graduation ceremony. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Something to Treasure

McKitrick Grade 6 grad highlighted by special gift

Jun 26, 2019 | 9:42 AM

Grade 6 students at McKitrick Community School received a special parting gift at their elementary graduation.

Each of the students making the plunge to high school this fall were given Living the Sacred Teachings books, a conglomeration of stories and experiences shared by both themselves and their peers that pertain to the Seven Sacred Teachings that are found across many Indigenous cultures.

Those teachings include love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth.

Kat Hillacre teaches Grade 6 at the school and said the idea for the books came about in February as the class explored both Aboriginal Storytelling Month and Black History Month.

“What we were trying to do was not only look at the stories of challenge, adversity, and struggles, but look at what really helped these people get through anything and everything they had to endure at that point,” Hillacre said.

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The students were asked to reflect on experiences in their own lives that highlight the importance of one particular teaching of the seven, that they found stood out in their own story.

The students’ write-ups were then all brought together to form the book that each student received.

Hillacre said she’s proud of the effort shown by her students to invest time and care into the assignment.

“The fact that they were able to dig so deeply into themselves and actually look at who they are as a person was so important,” she said. “Then entrusting the community with listening to who they are, I think that has a huge impact with them.”

She said the books will serve as something the students can treasure and look back on fondly throughout their lives moving forward.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1