Eskasoni Elementary and Junior High School
Chief Allison Bernard
Director of Education Marian Paul
Mi'kmaw Language Teacher/s six
Eskasoni is the largest First Nation community east of Montreal. It stretches approximately eight kilometers in length and about five kilometers in width. It is located about fifty kilometers from Sydney. Many of the 3,261 residents and descendants moved to Eskasoni during Centralization in the early forties. Before Centralization the population was a little less than two hundred. As you drive into Eskasoni, the Boisdale Hills are on one side and the Bras d'Or Lakes are on the other.
Eskasoni school houses the largest number of Mi'kmaw students in the Maritimes. There are over eight hundred students attending the locally controlled school (since 1979) from grades K-9.
Eskasoni Elementary and Junior High School
Another one hundred and fifty students attend the newly constructed high school which opened in September, 1998. There are fifteen to twenty students between the ages of two to four in Ksite'taqn Day Care.
Eskasoni High School
Students at risk or those who have dropped out of school attend Unama'ki Training and Education Centre (TEC) where they have the opportunity to finish high school. Approximately fifty students attend the day program from grades nine to twelve. At night, sixteen adults take upgrading courses, and/or are preparing for GED exams. Others are taking computer related courses.
In addition, there is an access program available which enables adults to prepare for university. Access program is a first year preparatory university program.
In all of the above schools, Mi'kmaw language is taught as a first language. In day care, all the five teachers are fluent and Mi'kmaw is used more than English in every day dialogue. In the Elementary School, Mi'kmaw is taught as a subject by four fluent teachers from grade Kindergarten to grade nine. Students get Mi'kmaw twice in a six-day cycle. In Kindergarten, Mi'kmaw is the language of instruction. In the High School, Mi'kmaw is taught as a first language as a subject in a semester setting. At TEC, Mi'kmaw is taught in grades 9-12 and is also available for adults in the evening.
The access program is a bridging program for university students who have intentions of pursuing full time studies. The program is an extension of University College of Cape Breton (UCCB). Mi'kmaw language is one of the subjects that can be taken at the Eskasoni site. At the campus, students have several courses in the Mi'kmaw language to choose from.
Graphs
| a. Never heard Mi'kmaq spoken at home |
| b. Grand/parents or yourself attended Residential School |
| c. Children attended non-native schools in your area |
| d. Only way to succeed in school was to speak English |
| e. Brought in by a family member from the U.S. |
| f. Neighbours speak English |
| g. Too much English on TV |
| h. Knows the language but afraid to make mistakes |
| i. One of the parents was non-native |
| j. Babysitter was English speaking |
| k. Other |
