New school to be built on Piikani Nation
By Alexandra Noad - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on October 18, 2024.
A new school will be built on the Piikani Nation to better serve the students living on the reserve.
The Piikani Nation currently has one elementary school and one high school located in Brocket.
Troy Knowlton, Chief of the Piikani Nation, and Patty Hajdu, federal Minister of Indigenous Services announced Thursday the school will be a $50 million build and is anticipated to open in 2027.
Hajdu says the building of this school is an exciting event for the students and families of the Piikani Nation as it will help set children up for success while staying close to home.
“Obviously school is a huge hub for communities and kids who get a good education just have that extra fair shot at success,” said Hajdu.
Hajdu added that this school will give students the chance to connect with their communities and culture.
With Piikani Nation being a reserve, the school will give the chance for the nation to have control over what their children learn regarding their culture and language.
“It allows Piikani to resume control over how their kids are educated. Closer to culture, closer to language, closer to elders,” said Hajdu.
The creation of the school required a lot of planning. This planning included things like where the school should go, what it will look like, and how many rooms it should have. Once the feasibility study was complete it moved into the design phase.
This process can take months or even years depending of the speed of the community.
Hajdu says the Piikani Nation should be congratulated for the work they have put into making this school a reality for the students.
“Piikani has to be congratulated for that level of planning, It takes planning to get to this point of success,” says Hajdu.
13-12
Congratulations! The plans shown on TV are beautiful and expresses your culture!