School District 27’s (SD27) First Nations Role Models for 2013 are Heather WolfEar and Jeremy Smith.
Heather hails from the South Cariboo, where the 14-year-old just completed Grade 9 at 100 Mile House Junior Secondary.
Numerous First Nations dignitaries and SD27 staff were involved in the recent ceremony at Williams Lake Secondary School, where all of the role model nominees were honoured and the new role models announced.
Each role model nominee had a friend or family member escort them, who in Heather’s case, was her friend Sky Moses.
“They called each nominee’s name and we walked around the gym with our escort,” Heather says.
“I was really happy when I won; it was exciting.”
The ceremony included speeches in three traditional languages, and there was dancing and drumming.
The two new role models were crowned with specially-beaded crowns by the outgoing role models, Kasey Stirling and James Evans, who also wrapped them in blankets.
Heather explains Kasey and James also presented blessed eagle feathers to her and Jeremy, as a symbol of handing over their positions, who in turn gave them back traditional tobacco pouches.
Then, all four role models were cleansed with traditional smudges and the feathers.
“I put the feather in my feather case [at home]. I have have different boxes for different occasions.”
Many of Heather’s family members from out-of-town later sent her their warm congratulations, she notes.
“They were calling from Alberta, Nanaimo and Quebec.”
The other nominees this year were Jillian Thomson, Sheyanne Setah-Turatus, Shemica Harry, Christina Sam, Courtney Zwack, Jerissa Charleyboy, Rae Alphonse, Denelle Noskiye and Loretta Jeff-Combs.
Jillian, 15, is a classmate of Heather’s at 100 Mile Junior, and says she was pleased to participate in the rituals.
“It was a really good experience and I learned lots at the ceremony.”
The cleansing ritual was particularly interesting and informative, she adds, especially when the role models from last year talked about each nominee, their essay and why they applied to be a role model.
“I like the speeches and how, when they talked, you danced around the audience. The drummers played and then we were escorted around the audience … [moving] to the beat of the drums.”
Jillian notes it made her “feel good” to be a nominee and participate in the ceremony after her efforts in the application process.
“It took a lot of work to do it so that I was accepted to go there.
“We had to write an essay and get our teachers to write us reference letters. It wasn’t just an application.”
Heather and James were each presented with role model tokens and a certificate signed by SD27 superintendent Mark Thiessen, board chair Will Van Osch, First Nations Education district principal David DeRose and education services director of instruction Jerome Beauchamp.
The new role models each also received a $500 bursary, which Heather notes she will use to attend various powwows, ceremonies and other First Nations educational events with SD27.
