Sudbury Secondary School students receive bursaries for Ojibwe language

Martina Osawamick, ATEG President, left, and Isaac Pitawanakwat present the Dorothy Pitawanakwat bursary to Kaitlin Gegwetch, a Grade 10 student at Sudbury Secondary School.

Mother Colleen Webkamigad, left, and grandmother Marjorie Webkamigad congratulate Katrina Webkamigad on receiving the Victor Simon Kesigo Memorial Scholarship. Katrina Webkamigad is a Grade 10 student at Sudbury Secondary School.

Two Grade 10 students at Sudbury Secondary School have received Anishinaabewmowin ATEG Language Scholarships for promoting and preserving the Ojibwe language. Kaitlin Gegwetch was the recipient of the Dorothy Pitawanakwat Bursary and Katrina Webkamigad received the Victor Simon Kesigo Memorial Scholarship. The awards were presented at the ATEG Language Conference banquet held on Friday, March 25th, 2011 in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan.

Rainbow District School Board Chair Tyler Campbell commended the students for their outstanding achievement. “Rainbow Schools provide students with opportunities to learn the Ojibwe language. It is certainly very gratifying to see our Aboriginal students gain recognition for their efforts.” He added: “Their success is a tribute to our Ojibwe language teachers and the wonderful work they do with our students.”

To qualify for the bursaries, the students delivered speeches in Ojibwe. They focused on the theme of the conference – Aanji-nkweshkamong enweying shka-kimi-kweng / Reconnecting Our Voice with Creation. “The students spoke about the pride they have in knowing their language and how learning the language is important for the survival of the language into the future,” says Roselynda Francis, Ojibwe Language and Native Studies Teacher at Sudbury Secondary School. “They also spoke about how Anishinaabe culture is preserved as the culture is embedded in the language itself.”

Katrina and Kaitlin see themselves as young Anishinaabe women who have the opportunity to learn the language so they can use it in their daily lives. Both students have taken Ojibwe language courses at Sudbury Secondary School.

ATEG is an organization that strives to preserve the Ojibwe language through an annual conference and workshops throughout the year. Many language teachers, Elders, youth, and Anishinaabe people attend various workshops. “The content varies from Elders speaking on how Anishinaabe culture is being preserved through Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language), to strategies teachers and families can use so that the Ojibwe language continues to be used in First Nation communities and urban areas,” says Francis.

The scholarships are in memory of many influential people in education and with knowledge of Anishinaabemowin. Some 15 awards are given to students in elementary, secondary and postsecondary school.  Students who are enrolled in an Ojibwe language course in a current school year are eligible to apply.

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,

Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,

Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.