IN THIS ISSUE The Solution: Playing Hockey Not Hookey (Duration 13:06) There are big problems in ’s remote northern communities keeping kids in school. Many drop out, turning instead to alcohol, drugs or worse. Recently, one school board in northwestern came up with a solution to get kids engaged. It made hockey a part of the physical education curriculum. Dubbed the “Hockey Academy,” the program is now in three schools and appears to be making a difference with 22 out of 23 kids who participated in the first year graduating.

News in Review Study Modules Related CBC Programs The Cross Lake Experiment: Reaching Indigenous Brain Gains: Better Grades Through Fitness Kids (Oct 2016) Human Rights and Today's Aboriginal Children Jordin Tootoo: Hockey Night in Nunavut and Youth (Mar 2003) Reaching Out: Sandy Bay, SK Reds, Whites & the Blues Residential Schools and Hockey Stories from the River's Edge Suicide Crisis in Attawapiskat True North Calling (Coming Soon) An Urban Aboriginal High School

Credits News in Review is produced by CBC News Resource Guide Writer: Chelsea Prince Resource Guide Editor: Sean Dolan Host: Michael Serapio Packaging Producer: Marie-Hélène Savard Associate Producer: Agathe Carrier Supervising Manager: Laraine Bone

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News in Review – February 2017 – Teacher Resource Guide THE SIOUX LOOKOUT SOLUTION: Playing Hockey Not Hookey VIDEO REVIEW

Before Viewing

1. Why do you think a hockey program that is part of the school curriculum is good for keeping kids engaged in the community and away from things like drugs and alcohol?

2. Why do you think schools in remote communities have problems keeping students engaged?

Viewing

1. Describe the town of Sioux Lookout. Include both positive and negative aspects of the town.

2. a) What is the population of the Sioux Mountain Public School?

b) What percentage of the school population is Indigenous?

c) What are the biggest challenges at the school?

3. a) Who is Steve Dumonski?

b) Why is Mr. Dumonski such a good fit for the hockey program?

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FEBRUARY 2017 – THE SIOUX LOOKOUT SOLUTION: PLAYING HOCKEY NOT HOOKEY

c) How does Mr. Dumonski feel about his students?

4. What challenges have the Shakakeesic children faced in their lives?

5. How has the hockey program made a difference in the lives of the Shakakeesic children?

6. What does “success” look like for the program?

After Viewing Spotlight on Steve Dumonski Teacher and coach Steve Dumonski is the key person in terms of generating success in the Sioux Mountain Public School hockey program. He played professionally for five years in the East Coast Hockey League and the United Hockey League. He was also invited to three NHL training camps. Dumonski loves both the sport and his students. He says he feels like a father to his players and frequently starts his day with hugs from many of his students, who clearly love him too.

Dumonski, who grew up in Northeastern Ontario, recognizes that just getting to school is a challenge for many of his students. He hopes that providing a safe place for kids and a steady stream of encouragement will keep students in school.

In this News in Review report, Steve Dumonski says, “The boys are over here in the woods getting high on marijuana or crack or whatever it might be. That’s a reality. Some of the students, they’re being sexually assaulted by family members, community members, people on the street. You know, I have had students in the past, two students in the past, try to commit suicide on a weekend. One tried to commit suicide after school right here. I do, I care about each one of these kids. I care about what happens to them after school, what happens to them during school. So, yeah, I take it personal. And when something happens bad, it hurts[…] When you get a kid that’s on that path that you’re fearful of, and you can bring them back and he’s excited about it, that’s why I’m here.”

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FEBRUARY 2017 – THE SIOUX LOOKOUT SOLUTION: PLAYING HOCKEY NOT HOOKEY

1. What are the challenges that Dumonski sees in the lives of his students?

2. How does he hope to make a difference in their lives?

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FEBRUARY 2017 – THE SIOUX LOOKOUT SOLUTION: PLAYING HOCKEY NOT HOOKEY

THE STORY 3. a) What do you do on your own time outside of school?

Minds On b) How do these activities help you to be engaged in your community and school? Small communities in remote locations often struggle with social problems among their youth. Sioux Lookout These problems include drug and alcohol abuse, Sioux Lookout is a town in Northern Ontario, poor school attendance and suicide. Many about 400 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay. people believe that, when there are not enough It is located halfway between Winnipeg and positive, healthy activities available for youth, Thunder Bay. The town has a core population young people will often turn to negative and that hovers around the 5 000 mark, but it also unhealthy behaviours. serves many other people who live in smaller Participate in a class discussion led by your outlying communities. teacher that focuses on the following questions: The slogan for Sioux Lookout is “Hub of the 1. What activities are you involved in within North.” While Sioux Lookout is located in an your community or in your school? isolated and remote area, it boasts an airport with frequent flights in from Wasaya and 2. What activities are available for people your Bearskin Airlines. The community has an arena, age within your community or in your a recreation centre and a new hospital. school?

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FEBRUARY 2017 – THE SIOUX LOOKOUT SOLUTION: PLAYING HOCKEY NOT HOOKEY

Like many isolated communities in the North, The program in Sioux Lookout there are significant social issues facing the After the success of the hockey program in youth of Sioux Lookout. Drug and alcohol , the KPDSB made the decision to abuse, poverty, sexual abuse, and suicide are just expand. In 2015, Sioux Lookout had the some of the negative social situations plaguing opportunity to implement the Hockey Skills the community. Suicide in particular has led Academy program in both Sioux Mountain many Northern Ontario communities to declare Public School and Queen Elizabeth District a state of emergency. In the nearby Nishnawbe High School. At Sioux Mountain Public School, Aski Nation almost 500 people have taken their students in Grades 1-6 began playing hockey own lives over the past 25 years, 17 in 2016 once a week, while students in Grades 7-8 began alone.

Sioux Mountain Public School, which serves students from kindergarten to Grade 8, has 340 students with 85 per cent self-identifying as Indigenous. In Northern Ontario, the graduation rate for Indigenous students is 53 per cent compared to the national average that hovers around 85 per cent for the rest of Canada. It is not surprising that school attendance is a major concern in Sioux Lookout considering the challenges these students are facing.

The hockey solution Sioux Lookout is a community in the Keewatin Patricia District School Board (KPDSB). Students in other communities in the school district face many of the same challenges as Sioux Lookout, with school attendance representing one of the top educational concerns.

In 2012, Dave Tresoor, a teacher in Kenora (also part of the KPDSB) noticed that, while students were regularly attending hockey practice outside of the classroom, they had very poor attendance at school. Motivated to engage students in school, Tresoor proposed making hockey part of the physical education curriculum. He made regular school attendance one of the requirements for taking part in the hockey program. Immediately, attendance improved. Of the 23 students enrolled in the first year of the program (called the Hockey Skills Academy), 22 went on to successfully graduate from secondary school.

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FEBRUARY 2017 – THE SIOUX LOOKOUT SOLUTION: PLAYING HOCKEY NOT HOOKEY playing twice a week. Eventually enrollment in Shayden, Jase, and Honor. Without their the program grew to 105. grandmother, all three children would be in foster care. They were removed from the care of Hockey Canada sponsors the Hockey Skills their mother when it was discovered that she Academy at Sioux Mountain Public School by suffered from significant addiction issues. helping to pay for ice time. All of the students in the program receive new equipment, funded by After watching her daughter’s deterioration, Jumpstart, a charity that is connected to Irene Shakakeesic grew concerned about the Canadian Tire. Since the program was availability of drugs and alcohol in Sioux implemented in Sioux Lookout, attendance has Lookout. These concerns must have been risen by 25 per cent and many students who used especially profound given her daughter’s to arrive late for school are coming early to play struggle with addiction. She credits the Hockey hockey in the playground. Skills Academy with helping her grandchildren — who all love hockey — to also love school. What is Jumpstart? Signs of success Jumpstart is a charity run by Canadian Tire. The In the 2016-2017 school year, the KPDSB purpose of Jumpstart is to help children be expanded the hockey program to schools in more active. They do this by providing new Vermillion Bay, , and Red Lake. The equipment to kids and by supporting non‐profit Hockey Skills Academy model, originally sports programs. Because the Canadian Tire developed by Dave Tresoor in Kenora, is now corporation funds all administrative costs part of the curriculum in all of these associated with running the charity, all communities. While making it into the NHL is a donations are sent directly to children in need. long shot for most players, the ultimate goal of the program is to keep students in school and to Jericho Crane improve the graduation rate. So far, the Thirteen-year-old Jericho Crane is one example popularity of the programs points to its success. of the Hockey Skills Academy’s success. He But if, in time, an NHL prospect emerges from sees a clear improvement in his achievement and the Hockey Skills Academy, the program will attendance at school since he was able to take not be shy about sharing the credit. part in the hockey program. Crane claims that Sources: before the implementation of the Hockey Skills Academy, he was unmotivated and “slacked off” Keewatin Patricia School Board Students Learning More than Just Hockey. (November 17, 2015). CBC News. at school. He says that playing hockey regularly Retrieved from cbc.ca. makes it easier to pay attention while in class. Ignoring Pleas Amid Suicide Crisis Putting Lives at Risk. Crane says that he hopes to one day play in the (January 21, 2017). The Chronicle Journal. Retrieved from NHL, demonstrating that being a participant in chroniclejournal.com. the program has also given him hopes and Porter, J. (April 16, 2016). Neskantaga First Nation in 3rd dreams — something that was missing from his Year of State of Emergency over Suicides. CBC News. life not so long ago. Retrieved from cbc.ca. Purdon, N. (Jan 21, 2016). School Hockey Program in The Shakakeesic family Northern Ontario Keeps Kids in Class and out of Trouble. The Shakakeesic family are another example of CBC News. Retrieved from cbc.ca. the program’s positive impact on students. Irene Walters, J. (April 21, 2016). Hockey Program Grows in Shakakeesic is the grandmother and caretaker to Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake. CBC News. Retrieved from cbc.ca.

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FEBRUARY 2017 – THE SIOUX LOOKOUT SOLUTION: PLAYING HOCKEY NOT HOOKEY

To Consider

1. While hockey is the main motivator, what other factors might help the students in the Hockey Skills Academy to attend school more regularly? Explain why.

2. Hockey is very popular, but other sports may be beneficial in schools as well. Use the following chart to explore the benefits of other organized sports that could be brought into schools.

Sport What’s Necessary? Values Positive Impact Make a list of three Generate a list of the What are the specific How could this sport sports that could be necessary equipment values promoted by have a positive brought into schools. and facilities for each this sport? impact on your sport. community? 1

2

3

3. Write a letter to your local school board asking for one of the sports you explored in the chart to be implemented in your school. Be sure to explain what would be necessary, the values the sport would teach to students, and the potential positive impact.

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Try This! Newsela (newsela.com) is an online news source that provides articles about recent news at multiple reading levels along with assessments such as quizzes and writing prompts. There are several texts available about improving school attendance. For example, schools in Liberia offer free meals and a school in Baltimore uses mindfulness instead of punishment at a school. Find four (4) of these success stories online and fill in the following chart.

Location Strategy Impact 1

2

3

4

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