Congratulations to our 2020 Nala’atsi graduates! We are so proud of you and all your accomplishments, and we wish you the very best in your future endeavours. A message from David: “Madison (Adi) Watson, Kaleb Andrew, & Daedra O’Malley!! A huge congratulations to these beautiful young warriors. Our Nala’atsi Graduates of 2020. I must say, my eyes teared up watching their graduation video. I love and cherish all the moments we got to share together this past year. I know I am exactly where I am meant to be on my path. They have put a sparkle in my eye. For that I am grateful. ‘The bad news is, there is no key to the universe. The good news is, it was never locked.’ Give yourself everything you deserve in life. You are worth it. You are strong. You are resilient. You are beautiful in your own way. We will always be family!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️  Love always, Gamutalagalis”

This week Nala’atsi students & staff participated in a really enjoyable day of cedar weaving, feasting, and cultural teachings with Avis O’Brien and a number of our favourite elders. It was a really powerful day of learning and sharing with a group spanning several generations. We’d like to thank Avis, the elders who joined us for the day, and First Nations Health Authority for their generous support in making this happen!

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We’ve been keeping busy at Nala’atsi, with lots of hands-on learning over the last two weeks! In late November several Nala’atsi students participated in a lovely cedar weaving workshop with Avis O’Brien in Campbell River. (Thank you Avis!) In early December students learned fish preparation with Nala’atsi favourite, Lelaina Jules, and later helped smoke the fish. Delicious. On top of that, students have been participating in a variety of arts & crafts activities with Heather and the rest of the Nala’atsi staff. Sounds like some good gifts might come out of this, probably a good idea to be nice to us 🙂

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Nala’atsi year-end field trip to Vancouver! Ferry rides, Science World, Aqua Bus, pirate ships, Granville Island, Theatre Sports Improv Night, counting Teslas (Clayton counted 61), and a fantastic tour of the Museum of Anthropology. An excellent finale to what has been a really great year at Nala’atsi!

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So proud of our Nala’atsi students who were recognized at the Indigenous Education Recognition Ceremony this Wednesday. Congratulations Clayton Akoluk, Mino Lynxleg, and Hannah-Lynn Watson!

Yesterday the Nala’atsi crew headed over to Hornby Island for an action-packed day at Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Centre. Alex, our fearless leader, guided us through a kayaking trip along the tranquil & stunning Tribune Bay. Afterwards, many of our students summoned the courage to scale the high ropes course, while the rest of us looked on in horror. Heart palpitations aside, we’re really impressed by our students’ ability to push through their fears & their willingness to try new things. Thank you Tribune Bay for a fantastic day! 

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Nala’atsi students had a fantastic time learning about Cedar and its significance in Indigenous cultures throughout the Pacific coast. Nalaga led students though an incredible workshop, and by the end of the day everyone had created their own Cedar bracelet. Thank you Nalaga!

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After learning about the cultural & historical significance of the drum, Nala’atsi students and staff spent an afternoon making their own drums. For many students this was their first opportunity to make a drum. Daryle Mills, Mavis Aubichon, and Bobbie Bailer guided us through the process and by the end of the day almost all of our students and staff had completed their very own drum. Huge thank you’s to Mavis, Daryle, and Bobbie for making it all possible! Photos of the completed drums to come…

On November 5th the Nala’atsi crew traveled to Quadra Island for a tour of the Nuyumbalees Cultural Center. We were joined by a number of Isfeld students & staff and our favourite Elders – Jo Loukes, Verna Wallace, and Jackie Finnie. The tour was fascinating and informative, and we enjoyed the beautiful scenery throughout the day. Thank you to Bobbie for organizing the trip, and to the Elders and Isfeld students & staff who joined us for the day. (Photos by Marion Dawson & Abigayle Randell).

The weather has been kind to us this fall. On an unexpectedly sunny Monday morning we convoyed out to Comox Lake for a day of canoeing. Several students had never canoed before; most of us are inexperienced at best, which makes it even more impressive that everyone found the courage to get out on the water, and that no one found themselves in the water. We paddled our way across the lake to Coal Beach and later around the bend to Devil’s Ladder, where we watched a group of rock climbers scale a terrifying rock face. When one of our students (very helpfully) yelled, “Don’t fall” one of the climbers replied, “Don’t drown!” Big thank yous to Bobbie for getting the canoes out to the lake, and to Abigayle for some of the excellent photos below.