Prince George AHS Graduating Class Honour Local Indigenous High School Grads

Photo courtesy of Lisa Provencher

We spoke with Nikki Littlechild, Skeh Baiyoh (House of Children) Head Start Childcare Centre Coordinator in Prince George. Graduates of the Head Start programs in the area were honoured at the  inaugural Ts’udelhti (We Honour) ceremony for School District No. 57 (Prince George, McBride, Valemount and Mackenzie) which included Indigenous graduates representing 33 different Nations.

In a May 31, 2019, School District No. 57 report on the occasion, one of the high school graduates spoke eloquently of the impact of the occasion:

Tori Edwards was part of a history-making day, and she was shining with pride.

Edwards was one of about 80 Grade 12 students who participated in Ts'udelhti, the first-ever Aboriginal Graduation Ceremony held in School District No. 57. Ts'udelhti, which means We Honour in Dakelh Lheidli dialect, happened Thursday, May 30 at Vanier Hall and celebrated the achievements of graduates from schools in Prince George, McBride, Valemount and Mackenzie. The ceremony – rich in First Nations culture – included dancing, musical performances and a symbolic reference to the end of one journey and the start of another.

At the conclusion of the festivities, Edwards reflected on what Ts'udelhti meant to her.

"I feel special, personally, because it's the first one and it's amazing that the Aboriginal students are being acknowledged," said Edwards, who grew up in Prince George and has Gitanmaax heritage.

"I was trying not to cry at a certain point. It was super-exciting for me."

Edwards is graduating from the district's Centre For Learning Alternatives program. She attended Thursday's ceremony with one-year-old son Marc Raphael in her arms and that was highly significant for her as well.

"If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here (at Ts'udelhti)," Edwards said. "I gave up on my education. I dropped out and just didn't have hope in my future anymore. And then I had my special little guy and there's just no other way to do it – I had to finish my education. I have to do what I've got to do.

"I'm more than proud of myself."

As a component of the intergenerational ceremony, the Head Start Graduates donned regalia and were invited to the stage to perform for the High School Graduates. The High School Graduates then gifted the Head Start Graduates with a beautifully carved wooden paddle in recognition of their contribution to the ceremony, providing a symbolic passing on from the graduating students to those incoming.

It is hoped that this will become an annual event. Nikki Littlechild looks forward to the day when the circle is completed and the current Head Start Grads will themselves become High School Graduates receiving their diplomas in a future Indigenous graduation ceremony. Already, some of the High School Graduates this year were once Head Start students. Sheilynn Alfred-Hager, a High School Graduate who was representing the Selkirk First Nation, commented, “I really enjoyed the little kids dancing. It really made me feel good to watch them.” Alfred-Hager will be continuing her education at the College of New Caledonia and eventually hopes to study law at the University of British Columbia.

The idea for Ts'udelhti came from Lance Potskin of the district's Aboriginal Education Department. He and colleagues Joshua Seymour, Lisa Provencher and Noelle Pepin were the primary organizers. Darcy Dennis, the Cultural Teacher at the Skeh Baiyoh Head Start program, sits on a committee where the representatives from the school district originated the idea of the AHS graduates taking part in the event. Darcy and Kelsey Abraham, Culture Teacher for the Carrier Head Start Preschool in Prince George, played a role in preparing the Skeh Baiyoh children for the performance and in helping the other Head Start Programs in Prince George with their preparations, as well. Darcy and Kelsey sang and drummed with the children at the ceremony.

Lance Potskin commented, “We’re celebrating these kids and their journey through high school, finishing it and the little ones coming in.”

Official community supporters of the first Ts'udelhti were the City of Prince George, the College of New Caledonia, the University of Northern British Columbia, the Prince George Native Friendship Center, the White Goose Bistro and Two Rivers Gallery.

In speaking with Nikki, it came across strongly how meaningful it was to have the Head Start children as participants in the graduation ceremony.

The second annual Ts’udelhti ceremony has already been scheduled for June 3, 2020.