Living Sky School Division launches Innovation Fund

Pethick said establishing this type of fund is a new endeavour for Living Sky, but it is something other school divisions are already doing successfully.

Director of Education Brenda Vickers echoed Pethick’s sentiments in an interview with battlefordsNOW.

“Most schools do some fundraising for different [activities and programming],” she said. “We wanted to take a system look at it, to make sure that we could support all 27 schools in some way, and try to take some of the worry off that way, and maybe some of the time staff have to spend on that. If we could help out, that’s what we are trying to do.”

Vickers said “innovation” is one of Living Sky’s key values, so the initiative is a good fit for its future growth.

“We’re really pleased so far with the response,” she said. “It’s really at the beginning stages, but it’s nice to see people coming on board. We appreciate it very much.”

Living Sky School Division’s board chair Ronna Pethick, left, with Chad Gartner (InnovCU IF). (Submitted photo/Living Sky School Division)

Funds raised will be used to support innovative projects, so more students in the division are able to benefit from enhanced programs and services.

“Staff are empowered to ask: ‘What if we could,’ to create equitable opportunities for students across the division in areas such as nutrition, extra-curricular activities, and truth and reconciliation initiatives, just as a few examples,” the division said in a release.

The two business that have already made a commitment to the fund are Discovery Co-op and Innovation Credit Union.

Discovery Co-op contributed $10,000 over five years, distributed in annual installments, earmarked for the advancement of cultural learning projects.

“At Discovery Co-op, we recognize the importance of acknowledging and addressing the historical injustices that have affected First Nations people,” Beth Walls, vice-president of marketing and community relations, said. “Through this donation to the Living Sky Innovation Fund, we are proud to support the healing process and work towards a more inclusive and respectful future for all. We look forward to the impact this partnership will have on our community.”

For its part, Innovation Credit Union committed $500 to the fund.

“One of our mandates is to be involved in the community, not because we have to be, but because we want to be,” Innovation Credit Union vice president of member advisors, Chad Gartner, said. “To be able to provide the opportunity for our students to have equitable growth in areas that will be supported by the Living Sky Innovation Fund, speaks to how we want to support our communities. We are very happy to be a part of it.”

The Living Sky Innovation Fund is established through the Battlefords and District Community Foundation, and offers several ways people and groups can donate.

LSKYSD said the vision for the fund is to be “innovative, encourage creativity and support projects and initiatives that will better serve students now, and in the future.”

This year several projects ran pilot programs that, if supported by the fund, could be expanded to include more schools.

One project looked at several schools that lost over fifteen days of learning the past year due to extreme weather, and asked: ‘What if we could make learning happen every day, despite the weather?’ Another looked at creating spaces for students to celebrate and connect to their culture through the creation of a Cree kindergarten program. Supported by the Living Sky Innovation Fund, the division said, these projects and others like them could be established and rolled out across the division.

Christeena Fisher, LSKYSD executive assistant, and project lead for the fund, said the initiative will help Living Sky provide more opportunities for all its students.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow

by Angela Brown

Living Sky School Division launches Innovation Fund

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