Sioux North High School

About Sioux North High School

Sioux North High School (SNHS) is committed to building welcoming and trusting relationships between all members of our school community, we ensure that all Sioux North students are valued and become comfortable, confident, independent, and capable individuals, who will be successful life-long learners. All students can succeed and thereby we aim to provide an environment where students can reach their goals in a supportive environment.

Sioux North High School is the academic home of nearly 550 grade 9 - 12 students from all over the Northwestern Ontario region, including students from nearby Lac Seul First Nation and to many more students from over 33 remote First Nations communities representing Treaty 3, 5, and Treaty 9. As such, our students spend time at home on their traditional lands hunting, fishing and learning about what the land has to offer them. When not on the land, they are avid sports players with an emphasis on hockey, basketball and e-sports. Others have interests in music and the arts with many talented musicians, animators, actors, visual artists, and videographers.

Many of our students travel to school from remote communities, they start their school year by flying into Sioux Lookout to be boarded with a family or in residence and return home during the traditional week, and school holidays when the opportunity is presented. Our urban students walk or drive when those from nearby Lac Seul start their day with an hour-long bus ride.

Sioux North High School serves students with a staff of approximately 55 staff members dedicated to helping all our students feel welcomed and a part of the learning community. We offer a wide assortment of course choices in various career pathways based on the requests made by students. We offer programs like Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) and CO-OP along with a range of Indigenous courses in languages, arts, values, and Indigenous issues.

We have a diverse student body with the majority of our students identifying as Anishinabe or Cree, speaking an indigenous language like Ojibwe, Cree or Oji-cree and English. Students at SNHS are very reflective in how they interact with the world around them. They tend to be quiet and in thought while engaging in learning. Please do not assume that they are not paying attention or listening but understand that they are thinking about what you are teaching them and may have questions and comments after the session. Give them time to collect their thoughts before moving on even if you don’t get through all your content as you might be surprised at the insight or discussion that happens. Some of our students are working to overcome challenges and trauma outside of their academic life which can have an impact on their mental health. Many are working to build a strong identity as to who they are.

Our students thrive in learning environments where there is a connection to their personal talents, attributes, or interests. All are hands-on learners who like to interact in some way with the content that is being provided. Students may be hesitant at first to be part of a discussion but will when prompted take risks and provide their experiences and opinions.

In our region, important seasons and special events are Harvest Week in October, Literacy Week in February and recognizing Orange Shirt Day (now also the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, on September 30th), Pink Shirt Day (February 23rd), and the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People (May 5th). We post regularly on Facebook and welcome you to join and learn about some of the activities on our school’s Facebook page.

We have a diverse student body with the majority of our students identifying as Anishinabe or Cree, speaking an indigenous language like Ojibwe, Cree or Oji-cree and English. Students at SNHS are very reflective in how they interact with the world around them. They tend to be quiet and in thought while engaging in learning. Please do not assume that they are not paying attention or listening but understand that they are thinking about what you are teaching them and may have questions and comments after the session. Give them time to collect their thoughts before moving on even if you don’t get through all your content as you might be surprised at the insight or discussion that happens. Some of our students are working to overcome challenges and trauma outside of their academic life which can have an impact on their mental health. Many are working to build a strong identity as to who they are. Students at Sioux North can tend to be quiet and may have heads down (especially the older students). Please know this is not an indication of not listening. Students love and respond well to hands-on activities, especially building, painting, creating, dancing, singing and movement. They are a wonderful bunch of loving kids who do not have a lot of positive life experiences outside of their home communities.

The students at Sioux North are creative and enjoy learning about a variety of art styles, music and drama. They experience several "on the land" opportunities throughout the school year and are eager to share their experiences with any providers.