The students and staff of Chief Payepot School recently hosted a two-day festival celebrating arts and language, one of the biggest events for the school with all grades exploring Indigenous identity and their nation’s history. “Social studies, English, arts. Our staff they incorporated everything in their classrooms,” said Denni Starr, the Grade 5 teacher at Chief Payepot School. “We learned about those things for many months before our performance pieces,” she added. It was the seventh edition of the Arts & Language Festival, with this year’s theme honouring the horse and dog. Students used song, dance, poems and acting throughout a two-hour performance. To prepare, members of the Piapot First Nation visited the school to share stories about the horse and dog and their importance. Students then used the information to generate ideas for performances. Teddy Bison is the fine arts coordinator at Chief Payepot School and said the students had a lot of input on the final productions. “We tell them to have a normal conversation with one another because they are comfortable that way,” Bison said. “When they are on stage, they do the same thing as if they were walking down the grid road,” he added. Arts are a major component at Chief Payepot School. Starr said cultural teachings and knowledge overlap arts, and said it’s an important subject when exploring Indigenous identity. “Our stories, history, ceremonies, language. They are all passed down through our art forms,” Starr said. “All of these performances, all of these art pieces that are in the school tell stories,” she added. The festival has grown steadily over the years. During the two-day festival, students performed for more than 450 people.
