News Item

February 2, 2011

News Item - Meeting of cultures a real hit

When an Asian student meets a British Columbian student, great things happen. Take what took place recently in the popular First Nations Girl Talk group at Mt. Prevost Middle School, for example.

Vice-principal Denise Aucoin and teachers Linda Quesnel and Rhonda Cizeron sponsor a program, with the help of Vanessa Porter from Aboriginal Mental Health Services, that sees around a dozen grade 7, 8 and 9 First Nations girls meeting weekly during or after school to have fun, build self esteem and talk about teenage issues plus more serious challenges affecting them in the First Nations community.

Things got even better when around 20 Korean international students joined the school and started using Prevost’s student development centre for snacks and school work.

It was a birthday, and the Korean students brought a cultural birthday specialty in their home country - seaweed soup – and a cake. They invited the First Nations students who were making friendship bracelets at a neighbouring table to share their food. Eastern culture met First Nations culture as the Koreans sang Happy Birthday in Korean and English, and the Prevost students reciprocated by singing Happy Birthday in Hul’qumi’num. Almost immediately, the Prevost students invited their new international friends to fry bread and chili – a huge hit that they pulled off with the assistance of teacher Linda Quesnel.

The Korean students are just like us; they have their own culture, noted Prevost student Hannah Price.

“This is the first time I’ve been so proud to have my own culture,” she said.

“The First Nations students were so very proud to share their culture and food with the Korean students. Sometimes our greatest gifts come in small packages,” said vice-principal Aucoin.