After four years in the making, students at Oak Park High School can enjoy taking class outside in its first Indigenous outdoor classroom.
The space includes a bison rubbing stone as a central feature and incorporates Indigenous ways of knowing.
Social studies teacher Darren Klapak said the idea started when students asked for smudging to be allowed in school.
“At one time the school would not allow us to smudge inside and students went to admin, and said, ‘That’s wrong, like why do we have to go outside? Why do we hide?” Klapak said.
“We should be able to smudge in the building and our administration at that time championed that cause and got the division to change the policy here for us.
“And so that just snowballed into more and more looking for how can we how can we honour Indigenous culture and how can we make it more visible here at the school? And that’s where this idea of the classroom was born.”
Former Oak Park student Jodi Fourre said there was a great deal of support for the classroom from the onset.
“This was something that was mentioned when I was in Grade 10 … I was one of those spokespersons for it, and now three or four years later we’re standing on it,” she said.
“Mr. Scott … used to be our principal for the year. He came to us and heard about our plan of having an outdoor classroom, and when he had heard about that, he was super excited and super supportive.”
Fourre said future students have a lot to gain from the new space.
“I think it’s going to connect them to the school more. When I originally came here, I knew no one and I left knowing my amazing people and I left inspired to start my own career in education, and so with the work that we put into other future students lives, I feel like this can really help other students, Indigenous students specifically and most importantly, coming from off reserves to feel more connected and included knowing that staff here and administrators in the division are very supportive towards projects like this.”
Klapak said the classroom marks an important step on the school’s journey toward reconciliation.
“When I went to high school, we didn’t learn about what was happening to our Indigenous population. That was never talked to us. Residential schools were happening when I was in school. It wasn’t talked about, but now the ‘Truth’ part with the internet and technology, no one has an excuse anymore to say we didn’t know. That’s out the window. Everyone now knows because it’s out there for you to know and it’s our responsibility to know the stories and then teach it to our youth.”
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