Students played handmade drums today to launch a celebration marking the signing of a second Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement for the North Okanagan-Shuswap (SD 83) school district.

Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreements are a commitment by school districts, local Aboriginal communities and the Ministry of Education to work together to support Aboriginal students. North Okanagan-Shuswap's first agreement was signed in 2005.

The initiative has proven successful. Over the past five years, the six-year completion rate for Aboriginal students in SD 83 has been above 54 per cent with a high of 64 per cent in 2009-10. This is consistently well above provincial six-year completion rates for Aboriginal students.

A number of programs in the district have been created since the first agreement was signed including:

• Early Intervention Reading programs offered at M.V. Beattie, Salmon Arm West, South Broadview and Parkview elementary schools.
• Students at South Broadview, Hillcrest and Bastion elementary schools meet after school for a literacy program called "Coyote Cafe".
• Afterschool "Girl Power" and "Young Warriors" groups are available at a number of schools.
• The Sacred Circle Leadership Program for students from grades 6, 7 and 8 is designed to help Aboriginal youth develop leadership skills and a sense of social responsibility.
• A number of schools are moving toward implementing "Adopt an Elder" programs.

The first agreement has also promoted a greater awareness and appreciation of Aboriginal culture and history:

• There are field trips to the Kamloops Museum to explore its strong Aboriginal history component. 
• Many schools are inviting Aboriginal authors and artists into their classrooms.
• A number of secondary school teachers are integrating Aboriginal literature into regular English curriculum.
• M.V. Beattie Elementary has a young drum group of students in grades 5-7. They make their own drums and performed at today's signing ceremony, along with the A.L. Fortune Secondary Drum Group.

Quick Facts:

• SD 83 (North Okanagan-Shuswap) has approximately 900 Aboriginal students who make up 14 per cent of the overall student population in the district.
• SD 83 is located in the traditional territory of the four Secwepemc bands (Adams Lake, Little Shuswap, Neskonlith and Splatsin Nations).
• Over the past 10 years, the completion rate for Aboriginal students in B.C. has increased by 11 per cent.

Learn More:

Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreements: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/abed/agreements/

SD 83 (North Okanagan-Shuswap): http://www.sd83.bc.ca/

BC's Education Plan: www.bcedplan.ca

Media Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963