The Kihew Waciston (Onion Lake) Cree Immersion School was developed in 2005 by a Cree linguist, Brian Macdonald, and local leadership. The school educates the next generation of language and cultural keepers and focuses on language retention, spoken language, and Cree identity. The school’s language outcomes are adapted from the provincial curriculum, but remain centered around speaking, listening, reading, and writing. They follow four foundational objectives which include: language development, kinship, identity, and reminding the youth about who they are. The school’s curriculum has been developed using the Gift of Language immersion program, which is intended for early childhood to Grade 4. The school hopes to engage more language learners as new curriculum for additional grades are developed.
