Revelstoke School District signed its second Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement last week, building off the work of the first one that saw a significant increase in the number of Aboriginal students graduating from high school.
The agreement, which was signed at Revelstoke Secondary School on Thursday, May 26, commits the school district to meet the needs of Aboriginal students with programming that includes First Nations history, culture and language.
"The journey of writing our second enhancement agreement has been a heartfelt process leading us toward the destinations we want to reach in Aboriginal Education for Revelstoke,” said Michelle Cole, the chair of the district’s Aboriginal Education Committee, in a news release.
Revelstoke’s first AEEA was signed in 2010. Since then, the six year high school completion rate for Aboriginal students increased to 76 per cent from 62 per cent. Aboriginal students also read at grade level in grades three and seven, and meet or exceed district average test scores in writing and numeracy in grade seven.
"It is very exciting and gratifying to witness the signing of our second Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement,” said Ariel McDowell, the district principal for Aboriginal education. “We look forward to the work ahead in implementing the goals of this agreement, and most importantly, we look forward to seeing the progress of our Aboriginal students in the years to come.”
The new agreement was put together after a series of workshops, meetings and open houses and included input from students, parents, teachers, community members and district staff.