The community came together on the evening of Jan. 30 to help students host a cultural fair in celebration of culture, faith, and community spirit at St. Agnes School.
The fair was made possible by the Moose Jaw Literacy Network who also set the theme for this year’s take on the annual event.
“Their theme is, ‘Let’s have a Family Party,’ and I think that’s exactly what you see here – just getting together and having a whole bunch of families come together and having a good time,” explained St. Agnes’ principal, Justin Clewis.
“This is our second annual culture fair. Last year we started it, and we didn’t really know what it was going to turn into,” he added. “It was basically ‘let’s get families together and see what comes of things’.”
The fair celebrated the diverse backgrounds of the school’s students through the sharing of stories, culture, and a few select food dishes. This year’s event grew to 23 cultures, up from the 21 cultures represented at last year’s inaugural celebration.
“Which is incredible if you think about that – from a population of 372 students (at St. Agnes School), that much diversity is something special to celebrate,” Clewis noted.
Attendance was comparable to last year’s event, with perhaps a few more participants rendering the school’s gym tightly packed for the greater part of the evening. A quick estimate suggested over 200 participants, backed up with a similar estimate from former MLA and current pastoral council chairperson Warren Michelson, who represented St. Joseph’s parish at the fair.
The celebration began with a few presentations put on by students at St. Agnes. To start, two Filipino groups – a younger followed by an older dance troupe – put on a noteworthy display of passion, especially by the younger and less experienced performers.
Following this, a Grade 3 student at the school, Neveah, did a Fancy Shawl dance for a powwow presentation next to the large teepee erected earlier in the day by knowledge keeper Lyndon J. Linklater. Clewis said her performance was exemplary. “She deserves that special recognition – she’s an amazing person,” he said.
The teepee was a new addition this year, and Linklater set it up earlier in the day with the help of Grade 7 and 8 students at the school. Once established, Linklater shared stories and teachings with students about Indigenous culture.
“The kids are just so in-tune to hearing about it, it was awesome,” Clewis said.
Linklater works with the Holy Trinity Catholic School Division and shares Indigenous knowledge and cultural perspectives with students across Moose Jaw.
“It’s so wonderful to see the performances, especially by the children, celebrating their respective cultures. Anything to do with culture, language, ceremony, is really a great way to learn and to support one another as people,” Linklater said.
To conclude the ceremony in style, two jig dances were performed by students with Metis ancestry.
The fair was supported by a generous donation from the Moose Jaw Literacy Network, and Clewis wanted to give them a special acknowledgement for making the event possible.
“Christine Boyczuk is terrific to work with and always keeps us in mind because she knows that we wanted to do this again,” Clewis said. “That’s always appreciated, and they help an awful lot.
“What I always go back on is Father Carlos, who used to be a priest at Church of Our Lady. To all the grads, he would always say, if all we’d ever done is taught you subjects, then we completely failed you.
“The social aspect of what this means to get out of the house and come together with our faith in mind too – you can’t really describe how important that is for everyone to know we’re here together and that everyone is special and unique, and to celebrate that. That’s what I think,” Clewis said.
“To stand up and watch everybody – the interactions – to me that just warms my heart. I love it.”
