The Renfrew County Catholic District School Board (RCCDSB) has opened the Mino-Pimàdiziwin Kitigàn courtyard at Bishop Smith Catholic High School, a project nearly a year in the making.
The opening ceremony included a land acknowledgement by students, a smudge by Elder Irvin Sarazin, and a traditional drum song. The courtyard was created to provide Indigenous students with a culturally relevant and inclusive space, funded by a Ministry of Education summer learning grant.
Students participated in planning sessions on garden design and budgeting, with guidance from Senior Biologist Jenn Braun on planting milkweed and other flowers to support local wildlife. They also received steel-toe work boots, WHMIS certification, and tools from Skills Ontario, supported by the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP). Six students earned a Learning Strategies credit, and eight gained volunteer hours.
The courtyard features a Traditional Algonquin Teaching Lodge, gardens, an outdoor learning space, a gazebo, an Inukshuk, and more. The Bishop Smith community is delighted with this new cultural space, and RCCDSB thanks all involved in making it possible.
(Written by: Emma Butler)