Indigenous Education
Greetings from Lake Trail Indigenous Education. We are excited to be working with your students this year and look forward to meeting you.
Ancestry is determined on a voluntary basis through self-identification and includes Status, Non-Status, Metis or Inuit Ancestry. The Indigenous Education Program provides several supports that follow the four goals of the Indigenous Education Enhancement Agreement and is provided to enhance existing school programs.
We provide a relaxed and calm space for students. Our room is “screen free”… a place to unplug and connect, play games, chat, or create (unless we are needing technology to help us with our learning) .
Introducing our Indigenous Support Workers:
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Taanshi (Hello),
It is a privilege to live, love, learn, and work on the unceded traditional territories of the K’omoks First Nation. The Sahtloot, Sasitla, Ieeksun, and Puntledge. I am honored and grateful to be a guest on such beautiful lands and waters. My name is Paul Arthur and I am one of the Indigenous Support Workers at Lake Trail Middle School. I take great pride in returning home to do this work. I am born and grew up in the Comox Valley until I was adopted at 5 years old. Once I was adopted, I lived on Sointula BC plus spent some time in the Nisga’a Valley and in Alert Bay BC. It was not until the summer of 2020 as I was finishing post-secondary that I found out I am Metis. I also have a mixed heritage from across Europe with roots to North Eastern US, Quebec and Polish Jewish connections. Marsee (thank you) Paul Arthur paul.arthur@sd71.bc.ca |
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Tan’si, my name is Kristy Bell. My Indigenous ancestry is from the Driftpile Cree Nation in Northern Alberta and my settler ancestry from Scotland. I am grateful to walk gently on the unceeded territory and lands of the Sahtloot, Sasitla, Ieeksun and Pentlatch, the K’omoks Peoples. I have four children, two of whom have graduated from G.P Vanier and Nala’atsi and two in grade 7 and 11. My children and I have a beautiful blended family and hold family connections to K’omoks First Nation (Ieeksun and Pentlatch), Kingcome, Stz’Uminus First Nation and Cowichan Tribes.
I studied Criminology in Post Secondary and have spent many years advocating for Indigenous youth and families involved with the Criminal Justice System and the Ministry of Children and Families. I am a passionate grassroots organizer raising awareness on the many issues we as Indigenous peoples face in a broken colonial system with a focus on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirited peoples across Canada. I worked with the First Nations Justice Council of British Columbia, the Provincial Government as an advisor and the Federal Government as an assistant to Members of Parliament in the House of Commons. In that work, I ensured decisions made that impact our lives should have the representation of Indigenous voices at decision making tables within every level of Government.
I am inspired to start this new journey at Lake Trail Community School. I believe our young people are our greatest gifts and I’m humbled to be in this role and excited to get to know each student, celebrate their gifts and walk together in a good way.
Kristy.Bell@sd71.bc.ca
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Community Resources:
B.C. First Nations Textbook
- B.C. First Nations Textbook – Part 1 (PDF)
- B.C. First Nations Textbook – Part 2 (PDF)
- B.C. First Nations Textbook – Part 3 (PDF)
- B.C. First Nations Textbook – Part 4 (PDF)
More Indigenous Links
