Paddling Towards Reconciliation
Jun 26, 2019
The Great Canoe Give Away is happening at Kingsway Park Public School on Thursday, June 27. On this day, Kingsway Public School Learning Academy students will conclude their year-long canoe building project with Fort William Historical Park by donating the finished canoes to the Canadian Canoe Museum. Representatives from Fort William Historical Park and the Canadian Canoe Museum (via Skype) will be present for the presentation.
“Reciprocity is a major part of the project and gifting the canoes back to places where they can be used to educate others is important to the students and to this project,” says Darren Lentz, Principal of Kingsway Park Public School.
During the project, students harvested resources from the land, learned about the impact of the canoe on Canadian culture, learned about Indigenous technologies, interacted with Historical sites and National Museums and most importantly learned from elders and knowledge keepers. The project was made possible through guidance from the Fort William Historical Park and their canoe builder in addition to community knowledge keepers.
The Kingsway Park Public School Learning Academy provides Grade 7 and 8 students with the opportunity to learn in an experiential and rigorous environment while meeting the requirements of the Ontario Curriculum. The Academy provides opportunities for students to participate in inquiry and/or project activities that encourage students to learn through active experience, reflect on the experience and apply their learning to various aspects of their lives.
