Punnichy Community High School

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Punnichy Community High School

• Career Transition Initiative Project

Promising Practices Symposium Thursday, April 2,
2009 Larry Bedel, Don Sangster, Herman Blind, Ray
Horney, Albert Pinacie, Donna Nurse, Julie Bedel
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DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

• Grade 9-12 school with a student population
  around 200 students
• 100 of students are First Nation
• Staffing Component of 17 FTE teachers, 1 full
  time personal counselor, 1 Career Counselor/Life
  Skills teacher and .5 Band Liaison plus support
  staff
• Serves the communities of
• Punnichy
• Day Star First Nation
• George Gordon First Nation
• Muskowekwan First Nation
• K-8 feeder schools Punnichy Elementary
  Community School, George Gordon Education Center
  and Muskowekwan School
• Community School Status
• Located on highway 15 in the Touchwood Hills,
  128 NE of Regina and 220 SE of Saskatoon
• First Nations communities are members of
  Touchwood Agency Tribal (TATC) and are part of
  Treaty 4

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OVERALL PROJECT OUTCOMES

• Improved student retention rates
• Improved student graduation rates
• To enable students to gain experience and skills
  that will help them to be successful in the next
  step of their life - whether that next step is a
  job or further education or training.

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

• Desire to formulate a formal partnership was
  first established in 2005
• Amalgamation put this on hold
• Desire and need to work together for improved
  student success guided partners to engage in
  discussion in 2006-07 (Enhanced Committee)
• January 22, 2007 first meeting of interested
  partners held
• First Nations Communities
• Horizon School Division
• Touchwood Agency Tribal Council (TATC)
• Carlton Trail Regional College (CTRC)
• Service Canada
• Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC)
• Punnichy High School administration
• April, 2007 a formal proposal submitted to
  Department of Learning (First Nation Métis
  Branch). Approval received in June.
• Project facilitator hired in September 2007 to
  guide partners for the creation and signing of a
  formal partnership agreement.

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION, CONTD

• January 21, 2008 a formal signing of the
  Partnership agreement was signed by the 4
  partners. The vision of the agreement is
  Creating opportunities for the success of all
  students.
• As part of agreement two committees formed
• Strategic Committee
• Action Committee
• Additional funding secured in fall of 2007 for
  the Career Development Action Plan. Consultant
  hired to undertake a survey to hear the local
  voices. Report issued in June, 2008.
  Accomplishments of this process
• Students, schools staffs, parents and community
  members were given a voice.
• Information and data pertaining to project were
  shared with related parties and the public.
• The Partnership Strategic Committee was provided
  with recommendations and action plans.
• A strong working relationship, based upon what
  is best for children, developed between the
  partnership members.

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION, CONTD

• Funding application submitted to the First Nation
  Métis branch in June, 2008.
• Funding Secured in August, 2008. Hiring of a
• 50 Career/Life Skills teacher (Julie Bedel)
• Contracted consultant (Don Sangster)

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PARTNERS IN LEARNING

• As deliberations continued, the partnership grew.
  Some were involved as funders and some were
  involved in programmming
• Ministry of Education
• Carlton Trail Regional College (CTRC)
• Partnership First Nations Bands (George Gordon,
  Muskowekwan Day Star)
• Touchwood Agency Tribal Council (TATC)
• Horizon School Division (HZSD)

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PARTNERS IN LEARNING, CONTD

• Indian Northern Affairs Canada (INAC)
• Advanced Education Employment
• CanSask Career Employment Services
• Industry
• BHP Billiton
• Raymore Co-operative
• Service Canada
• Town of Punnichy

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PLANNED KEY DELIVERABLES OF THE INITIATIVE

• Improved student retention and graduation rates
• Delivery of PAA courses that will provide
  students skills that are marketable and reflect
  the voices of the communities
• Offering of workshops, visits, tours, guest
  speakers to increase cultural awareness of First
  Nations and Métis ways of knowing for student and
  staff of PCHS.
• Development of personal Career portfolios and
  Career Action Plans for every student in PCHS
• Expansion of the existing school facility to
  offer increased skills and training programs.

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MAIN OBJECTIVES, 2008-09

• In Sept., 2008 our main objectives were
• Programming Put in place skills and trades
  programming during this school year by the start
  of the fourth of five learning blocks (March,
  2009)
• Students Identify confirm enrolment of
  students who would benefit from the programs
  planned as a result of consultations.
• Facilities Obtain approval in principle for a
  building addition at PCHS to accommodate the
  program in the longer term and locate and refit a
  temporary site in the short term.
• Cultural Awareness Deliver cultural awareness
  training to the staff at PCHS.

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1. Programming - Planning

• Consultation was the key ingredient to obtain buy
  in and ownership
• Informal discussions with community members, band
  leaders, committee members, etc.
• Community meeting held to gain input as to
  program needs
• Students in PCHS consulted both in groups and
  individually to gain input as to program
  interests and needs
• Committee brainstormed programs

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1. Programming - Consultations

• Top Ten Results of Consultations
• Carpentry
• Framing and Drywalling (sub-trades of carpentry)
• Oil Patch/mining safety programs
• Food prep and service areas
• Early Childhood Education, Teacher Assistant,
  Childcare (Daycare)
• Welding
• Computer Technology/Graphic Arts Design
• Business Courses
• Cosmetology
• Life Skills

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1. Programming Confirmed Programs

• Carpentry Program (Outcomes)
• Four high school elective credits
• First Aid/CPR C
• Safety Tickets
• CSTS (Construction Safety Training System), H2S
  Alive, WHMIS, Transportation of Dangerous Goods,
  Confined Spaces
• Framing course from SIAST towards Level I
  Carpentry
• Up to 800 hours towards their Apprenticeship in
  Carpentry
• Life Skills/Employability Skills
• Portfolio including resume, Career Plan,
  evidence of Employability Skills

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1. Programming Confirmed Programs

• Human Services Program (Outcomes)
• Four high school elective credits
• First Aid/CPR C
• Credits for the following modules from SIAST
• HMD 100 Child and Adolescent Development (from
  Educational Asst/Early Childhood Education
  Certificate Programs)
• SFTY 184 Crisis Preventiion (from EA/Rehab
  Worker/Youth Care Worker Certificate Programs)
• CLTR 120 Diversity (from Corrections Worker/
  Aboriginal Police Prep Programs)
• COMM 112 Interpersonal Competence (Corrections
  Worker/Aboriginal Police Prep Programs)
• Life Skills/Employability Skills
• Portfolio

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2. Students

• Carpentry Students
• Identification Process
• 14 students 4 from Grade 11, 5 from Grade 12, 2
  taking correspondence, 3 who had quit school and
  were not engaged in school or work

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2. Students The A-Team
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2. Students The A-Team Rescue Mission
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2. Students Human Services

• Identification Process
• 8 students 5 from Grade 12, 1 taking
  correspondence, 1 who had gone to SIAST last fall
  and not been successful, and 1 who had quit
  school and was not engaged in school or work

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Students Human Services FabulUS
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2. Students Having Fun and Learning
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3. Facility
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4. Cultural Awareness

• Approaches to teaching explored
• Service Learning
• Project Based Learning
• Workshop Office of the Treaty Commissioner

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4. Cultural Awareness

• Underlying the teachings will be a holistic First
  Nations way of knowing approach

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Contacts

• Larry Bedel
• larry.bedel_at_hzsd.ca 365-4888 (w) 338-8333 (c)
• Don Sangster
• Dsang2_at_gmail.com 729-4990 (h) 535-5589 (c)
• Donna Nurse
• donna.nurse_at_hzsd.ca 835-2140 (school)
• Julie Bedel
• julie.bedel_at_hzsd.ca 360-7027 (cell)