Elk Island Public Schools is inviting students, families, and community members to a celebration of Indigenous culture and community at their annual powwow on May 23, 2026, in Sherwood Park, Alberta.
The event will be held in the gymnasium at Lakeland Ridge School, located at 101 Crimson Drive. Doors will open for registration at 9 a.m., with the main festivities taking place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Attendees can look forward to performances by local First Nations dancers. The event will also feature the Cree Confederation Drum Group and the Young Gunz Drum Group, who will provide the traditional music and percussion that form the heartbeat of the celebration.
This powwow is part of a broader effort by the school division to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into local classrooms. Jerome Chabot, the school division’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit Curriculum and Cultural Consultant, has emphasized the division’s goal of weaving these teachings into daily lessons to support students and address historical barriers.
The school division, which serves approximately 17,750 students across 43 schools, has also established land-based learning spaces guided by Elder Wilson Bearhead. These spaces, which include tipis and sharing circles at the central administration office, are part of an ongoing commitment to Truth and Reconciliation within Treaty 6 territory. The upcoming powwow serves as a lead-up to National Indigenous Peoples Day, which takes place on June 21, 2026.
