Community Field Experience

Acwsalcta, a Nuxalk word that means “a place of learning.” This week we had the honour of spending time at the k-12 First Nations school in Bella Coola. As soon as you see the school building, you get a sense of how this school fosters the Nuxalk culture. The outside of the building itself is full of beautiful Nuxalk artwork which continues as you walk into the grand, wide open entrance, full of glass cases of carved masks.

Again, we were greeted by a friendly smile. Everyone in Bella Coola is so nice and genuinely happy to meet you! The principal gave us a quick tour of the school and introduced us to as many staff as possible as everyone was busily getting ready for their Monday.

The beginning of each week starts with “circle time” which we were lucky enough to be a part of. All of the classes are brought down to the gym and are led by the cultural staff including an elder, in giving thanks and recognizing certain staff, students, and events. We were warmly welcomed by the principal and as the cultural staff led the students in a song, I was graciously given a hand made drum to beat along to. I felt so honoured to be included and immersed into this great culture and only hoped that I could keep a beat. Our music teacher would have been so proud.

As the week continued, I was invited into several different classes and I got to experience a variety of grade levels from preschool to grade 5. It was so amazing to see how the Nuxalk culture is embedded in these student’s lives. From the language, to art, to song and dance, these students are lucky to have an amazing cultural staff that can infuse their curriculum with these valuable lessons.

We walked the five minutes from the Yellow house to the school in the morning excited and nervous. Not sure what these three weeks had in store for us. The school is a grade 6-12 Secondary school and we were headed to meet up with Dan, who runs the alternate program. He greeted us with a welcoming handshake and a warm smile. The class was quite small and seemed even smaller as most of the students were at home sleeping off their grad weekend. Some of the boys were working out in a small room attached to the class which Dan had converted into a weight room. Not only was this a great way for them to start the morning but it also served as a place for all the students to take a brain break and boost their energy as they worked their way through the day. I got to work closely with two of the students and help them study for their Grade 12 First Nations Studies Provincial exam. It was such a nice change to be able to work so closely with students and it really gave me a chance to get to know them. I was really impressed by how much they knew about First Nations history and how mature they were during our discussion. It got me thinking about how much fun it could be to teach that age group and the types of in depth discussions you could have with them that you might not get at the intermediate level. As we continued on with our day, we were introduced to the resident artist. A local man who is a very talented carver and teaches students how to carve First Nations art. The pieces he showed us were beautiful and if given more time at the school I would have loved to learn some basics from him. The students he was working with were so proud of their art, and rightfully so. It was so wonderful to see someone from the local community be a part of these students everyday lives and teaching them an important part of their culture. I really got the sense that this is a huge part of the school atmosphere here in Bella Coola and something that I look forward to seeing more of.

After a long 11 hour drive up to the Chilcotin Plateau, we slowly, but surely, made our way down the infamous “hill” that leads into the Bella Coola Valley. The road descends 43 km of steep, narrow road with sharp hairpin turns and two major switchbacks. The road is only wide enough for one vehicle in some places and is surrounded by cliffs on one side and long drops of hundreds of meters on the other. I tried not to look down and put all my trust into Katy’s capable hands.

According to Wikipedia, tourists have been known to refuse to drive  back up the hill only to catch a float plane out. Luckily it wasn’t that bad for us but I wouldn’t want to see it in the winter. The drive into the valley is beautiful as you are surrounded by giant mountains and lush forests, the perfect place for anyone who loves the outdoors. We arrived at our accommodation, fittingly known as the “Yellowhouse” or Haywire Farms where we were greeted by friendly faces and homemade pizza, the perfect end to our long journey.