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School year kicks off with relationship building among Bow Valley teachers

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School year kicks off with relationship building among Bow Valley teachers
WATCH ABOVE: A unique start to the school year in the bow valley. For the first time teachers from two school divisions joining forces to embark on a new journey of learning and teaching together. Jayme Doll has more from Canmore – Aug 31, 2016

Three-hundred teachers crowded into an auditorium at Canmore Collegiate High School Wednesday to kick off a new year and celebrate new relationships.

“How many are from Morley?” Chris MacPhee, superintendent of Canadian Rockies School, asked the group. A third of the room raised their hands.

It was the first time teachers from two different school divisions joined forces. It represents the birth of a new partnership that hopes to foster relationships between schools bordering next to First Nations communities; a $26-million initiative sparked by the provincial government last fall now taking shape.

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“We are so close together and there’s so much we don’t know about each other, so having that ability is so beneficial to the students and teachers,” Carissa Matthews, acting principal at Nakoda Elementary School said.

Staff and students in Morley will now have access to resources and courses in Banff and Canmore and vice versa.

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“One of the things we are not able to offer right now is the Stoney language and we have 250 Stoney students in the school division,” MacPhee said. “We are going to be able to access help from them [Stoney Education Authority] to help us with that.”

Everyone there agreed the initiative is about more than just academics; it’s about understanding and opening the door to close neighbours.

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