Balcarres Community School teacher Michele Schwab has received the prestigious Governor General’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Canada’s most prestigious award for teaching in the field of history.
Schwab received the award for leading Grade 11 and 12 students through a complex storytelling project. Students interviewed knowledge carriers in nearby communities and utilized those interviews to create a magazine etitled Ôtāhcimōwiniwāwa Kākistāwētinīki Ōtēsi Nīkan (Their Stories That Echo Into The Future).
They launched the publication with a celebration where they shared food and stories with community members and knowledge carriers. The students also made podcasts and artworks to share the stories with younger audiences.
Through this innovative project, students forged stronger bonds with other generations, and became storytellers and advocates with a deeper understanding of their cultural heritage and their role in preserving it for future generations.
More information is available here: https://www.canadashistory.ca/awards/governor-general-s-history-awards/award-recipients/2024/michele-schwab