Year: 2020 — Province: Manitoba
Certificate of Achievement Recipient
École River Heights School
Truth and Reconciliation (social studies), English language arts, grades 7 and 8
Winnipeg, Manitoba
[Jennifer] is the model for what it means to be an ally for Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Jennifer Wiebe spent part of her childhood in Kenya and some of her young adult years in a low-income Winnipeg neighbourhood. As a result, she learned to ask—rather than assume—what people facing challenges need. Outside of school hours, she delivers lunches to homeless shelters, brings her daughters to Pride parades, and is involved with local community safety initiatives.
Teaching approach
Jennifer works to engage her students—and colleagues—in local and global issues. She uses her English language arts curriculum as a springboard to explore issues of equity and fairness in society.
In the classroom
- Emphasizes cross-curricular projects, which she develops with colleagues: a cross-curricular water systems unit will be taught in science class; she collaborating with two other English language arts teachers on a unit on environmental stewardship through Indigenous voices.
- Teaches digital literacy skills: helps students choose and vet reliable online sources; coaches them as they make videos, Google Slides presentations, Instagram posts, websites and other electronic products; introduces students to new topics via virtual tours.
- Builds connections to northern communities: uses technology to help students learn about a northern community and interact with their peers there; engages students in projects to send sports equipment and books to northern reserves.
Outstanding achievements
- Created a required Truth and Reconciliation course: Grade 7 students recast the history of the relationship between Indigenous people and settlers to Canada. ; Grade 8 students complete community projects focused on the 94 Calls to Action; each class summarizes what they have learned on a tile that is added to a school mosaic.
- Fosters understanding of Indigenous people: founded school's Treaty 1 Club; leads Orange Shirt Day; had Senator Murray Sinclair speak to students; co-teaches classes on Indigenous topics; brings students to powwows; organizes tours of Indigenous art exhibitions; holds a weekly smudge ceremony at the school.
- Founded school's social justice club: among many other activities, participants run fundraisers for international disasters, collect clothing for refugees, distribute food in struggling neighbourhoods, and make gifts for young mothers living in shelters.
- Supports LGBTQ+ students: started school's gender sexuality alliance club (one of the province's first such clubs in a middle school); organizes Pink Shirt Day events; helps raise funds for homosexual refugees; gives presentations to colleagues about LGBTQ+ issues.
Get in touch!
École River Heights School
1350 Grosvenor Avenue
Winnipeg MB R3M 0P2
204-488-7090
River_Heights@wsd1.org
https://www.winnipegsd.ca/schools/RiverHeights