Another side

It was really refreshing to read Gloria Wasacase's article in the May issue on her time working at a residential school. Over the last few decades all that seems to get printed about the Residential Indian Schools has been stories of abuse: sexual, physical and cultural.
There is another side that Gloria brings out. Most certainly the students at Birtle and Cecilia Jeffery received a better and broader education than they could ever have obtained on a school on a reservation.
I served as part-time chaplain at Birtle Residential Indian School in the late 1950s and early 1960s and it was an experience that I have treasured ever since! I came to appreciate native culture in a new way as I attended native dances and powwows at the school. I also became acquainted with a number of the students who came back to share their experiences after they graduated from programs in nursing, teaching and many other skills. I am sure that without the loving care and encouragement they received at Birtle they would never have ventured into the 'white man's world.'
One of the students at Birtle at that time was Gordon Williams who later graduated from university and theological college and became the first native-born Presbyterian minister. A counselor there at the time was Colin Wasacase whom I had the privilege of tutoring in preparation for his re-entering university after failing his first attempt as a student. He later went on to become a teacher and school principal. I still remember watching Colin on the outdoor rink at the school, skating circles around staff and students alike and playing excellent hockey even though he only had a stump where his right arm should have been.