Marjorie Ma-Ao’s small classroom at Sergeant Tommy Prince School in Brokenhead Ojibway Nation contains shelves upon shelves of books. Sorted and bagged by reading level, teachers can easily take what they need for each student in their classroom.
“We want to make sure the students are reading to their grade level,” she said.
The second-floor room also contains a variety of books for students to take home, many of which feature Indigenous culture and stories.
Ma-Ao is the school’s literacy and numeracy support teacher, supporting the nursery – Grade 9 school’s teachers in language instruction, and working with students one-on-one. Some students, she says, begin school not knowing the letters of the alphabet or how to write their names.
“It’s rewarding when, at the end of June, there is really big progress in their reading,” she said.
The school hosted a number of events and guest speakers from the community during “I Love to Read” month, a province-wide push to encourage reading during the month of February. It’s part of a wider campaign at the school to address low literacy rates.
“When I came on board, I noticed that there was a bit of a challenge with some of the literacy, numeracy and attendance,” said principal Wendy McPherson.
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McPherson says even assessing literacy levels was difficult at first due to absences. But after three years, the percentage of students who haven’t been assessed due to lack of attendance has decreased by roughly 75 per cent, and the percentage of students reading at grade level has tripled.
McPherson says the first step was making sure the school felt safe and welcoming for students.
“Our attendance has increased by 15 to 20 per cent, and our literacy rates have increased quite a bit, and our behavioural issues have actually decreased quite a bit. And that’s because the kids have a sense of belonging, and they celebrate each other.”
McPherson and her staff travelled to Vancouver in late February to speak on their improved literacy rates for the Assembly of First Nations 2026 Education Forum.
The school celebrated Monday morning, gathering for an assembly. Classrooms gave literacy-themed presentations to their peers, followed by a feast and round dance. Students tracked their reading minutes throughout the month, with the top readers recognized with prizes.
Ava Bruyere took the top prize, having read 855 minutes.
“I usually read a lot. I really like reading, like I have a bunch of books at home that I read. I really like reading novels,” she told Global News.
“Reading can take you to places you’ve never been,” McPherson said. “I think that it inspires our kids to reach for the stars and reach whatever they want to do in their future.”
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