Students show off community

Originally published in Alberta Sweetgrass, Vol 14. Issue 2, 2006

When the Alberta government told Caslan School principal Tim Murphy that his school wasn't a success he challenged that notion.

"What is success? How do you define it?" he asked.

Murphy felt that his Metis students faced challenges that many other students didn't have to overcome.

"A lot of the kids here are dealing with fetal alcohol syndrome. A lot of them are abused or have family issues."

He said the school, located just off the Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement, met all of the government's criteria for success except for falling short academically. Murphy feels it isn't fair to set all schools by the same standards regardless of the community and that his students learn the best when they express themselves through arts.

He has started a major project this year that will show just what the students are made of.

The project has many phases, and students finished part one in December when they spent a month working with a professional photographer from Vancouver.

Christine Germano coordinates "Through Our Eyes," a program that allows Aboriginal students to show the highlights of their community through photography. She spent part of November and most of December in Caslan teaching students photography and allowing them to choose something they loved about their community to capture through the lens.

Over 80 students participated in the project and chose a wide variety of subjects from their grandmothers, to Buffalo Lake, to their teachers.

"It's great how it's unfolding," said Germano.

Once the students' photography is finished they will write stories to go with their work and all of it will be exhibited in a museum in Vancouver this February next to the work of some of Vancouver's Aboriginal youth.

Students use Germano's professional camera and while they were working they were followed by Edmonton filmmaker Jaro Malanowski who is teaching students how to document the events.

Over the past few weeks Germano and Malanowski took two or three students out for the day so they could work on different projects. The students were encouraged to perform better in class so they could go on the outings and all were eager to participate.

Germano has gone back to Vancouver but Malanowski is spending the entire school year in Caslan.

He will help film many of the coming projects, which include students making murals for their classrooms as well as a large mural for the school wall.

Caslan School has unique students and Murphy feels that the project is a way to show them they have skills and give them the confidence to build their future.

The "Through Our Eyes" program not only helps them learn new skills but it allows them to see beauty in their own community.

"This gives kids something to write about," said Murphy. "They need something that's important to them. If they see the community differently, they see themselves differently."

By the end of the year all of their work will be caught on camera and Malanowski will put it together into full-length documentary, which he hopes will be aired on national television. It's the kind of work that he really loves.

"I get to give back to the community whereas traditional documentaries just take, take, take," said Malanowski about working with the students.

Students got a glimpse of what they have been working on at their Christmas concert when Malanowski prepared a 30-minute documentary of the work they have done so far. The video was a hit with the audience and Murphy can't wait to see how far the project will take them.

"I can see us at film festivals," he said.