Celebrating Chandra Antone
We have chosen to highlight Ms. Chandra Antone, one of our Indigenous Support Workers at Godson elementary school. Ms. Antone is new to Godson this year and has overseen a smooth transition of embedding Indigenous culture throughout the day. Ms. Antone has developed a strong cultural curriculum and is regularly seen throughout the day engaging with classes by drumming, singing, arts and crafts, and storytelling. Additionally, Ms. Antone leads the school daily through the traditional Halq’eméylem welcome. Ms. Antone has also taken the lead on our assemblies, whereby she welcomes all guests in a traditional Indigenous welcome through drumming and singing; and closes each assembly with a traditional closing ceremonial song. We also enjoy our school-wide ‘Story time with Ms. A’ over teams, whereby Ms. Antone reads an Indigenous story to the entire school over Microsoft Teams each Monday from 1:10-1:20.
For these reasons, Godson is a richer, more inclusive, and welcoming environment for our staff, parents, and children. We are grateful that Ms. Antone has taken the lead on raising the bar for our Indigenous culture while also supporting children on a one-to-one basis where needed. Ms. Antone is an integral member of the Godson team!