This story is part of a series where staff participated in Indigenous Focus Day on April 20, 2026. Indigenous Focus Day is a District-wide professional development day dedicated to deepening educators’ understanding of Indigenous perspectives, histories and ways of knowing.

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At Magee Secondary, educators and other VSB staff came together for Indigenous Focus Day to learn from Indigenous knowledge holders and from each other. 

The day included nearly 10 workshops. Two sessions focused on how learning connects to place, culture and lived experience.

Workshop: xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) teaching

This session introduced a teaching resource based on Indigenous perspectives. Unique in its approach, it applies across all subjects and aligns with the B.C. curriculum. The xʷməθkʷəy̓əm teaching was developed by the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm community and staff at the Museum of Anthropology (MOA). 

The workshop began with a circle activity, where participants shared who they were, what work they do and why they chose the session. Facilitators then introduced the kit and gave examples about where its materials could be used with students. Participants then moved through stations of their choice to explore the kit more closely. Some gathered in groups to discuss language. Some participants watched interviews with community members. Others explored Musqueam place names on a territory map. 

The kit features stories, timelines, pronunciation guides, artifacts, interactive elements, and an educator guide with background, activity ideas, and curriculum instructions for all grades and subjects. 

Workshop attendees spoke about how they could use the resource with students in the classroom and outdoors. They also explored how the parts of the kit could be used in differing grades and subjects. Many commented about how easily it can be adapted for students with diverse needs. 

The session ended with everyone taking part in the kit’s timeline activity. Many said it was an eye-opening and engaging way to learn about xʷməθkʷəy̓əm history. 

Workshop: Wool dyeing

A second session, led by xʷməθkʷəy̓əm artist and facilitator Rita (Point) Kompst, focused on natural wool dyeing. Throughout this hands-on workshop, Rita shared teachings from xʷməθkʷəy̓əm and Coast Salish relatives as she explained the traditions and practices of several nations, including textile uses, materials, plants, lands and customs. 

Through her instruction and stories, participants learned how mordants and materials like mushrooms, plants and insects produce a range of colours. They also had time to try it themselves, using traditional practices to dye fibres. They explored how natural materials create colour and how this work connects to science, art, community and the land. 

Each participant left with a dyed colour card and ideas about how to share what they learned with their coworkers and students. 

Keynote: Dr. John Chenoweth

In the afternoon, Magee attendees gathered for a keynote from Dr. John Chenoweth, president and CEO of the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology and a member of the Upper Nicola Indian Band. 

Centred on the question, “Who are your relations?”, he invited educators to think about how identity and learning are shaped by relationships to family, community, the land and those who came before. Drawing on his experience, Dr. Chenoweth encouraged educators to create learning environments where students feel safe to take risks, learn from mistakes and build confidence. 

For Magee participants, the day showed how learning rooted in place, and shaped by relationships with community, culture and the land, can support meaningful classroom experiences across grades and subjects.