Posted on 2025-11-28 21:46:11.142 +0000 UTC
High Prairie School Division is proud to highlight another powerful collaboration between 𝐇𝐏𝐒𝐃’𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 and 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐜𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐝, 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬. This project continues to strengthen land-based learning, food sovereignty initiatives, and hands-on skill development for students, including support for the Division's hot lunch program.
Last school year, the Youth Council for Reconciliation (YCR) at Georges P. Vanier School applied for and received a $20,000 food sovereignty grant. Demonstrating thoughtful initiative, the YCR chose to use a portion of their funding to purchase a bison, giving another school the opportunity to participate in this land-based learning experience. They also chose to share the resulting meat through the Division's hot lunch program, extending the benefits of this project to students across HPSD.
This project aligned perfectly with the E.W. Pratt High Block 1 Foods class meat module, which began earlier in the week. Led by Mrs. Kara Binneman, students are learning both basic and advanced meat cookery skills, including identifying cuts of meat and understanding their preparation and uses.
This bison was sourced through Hagen Bison Ranch and slaughtered at Tatonka Meats LTD., with 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐲 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫 and 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧 from Butcher Man deboning the meat for students to prepare. Last year, students from Prairie River Junior High School and Georges P. Vanier School each processed a bison, contributing to meals that have fed 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟏,𝟕𝟎𝟎 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 through HPSD’s hot lunch program.
A big thank you to 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐱 for coordinating and transporting the bison from Tatonka Meats in Grande Prairie during the early morning hours, and to all partners who support this important learning.
The Division also expresses its appreciation to the Georges P. Vanier 𝐘𝐂𝐑 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 for their initiative and generosity in opening this land-based learning experience to other schools and in sharing this harvest with the entire school community.
