The School of One Carver first began to discuss carvings, the agency of heritage, the plight frequently faced by single Indigenous women in Canada, and the articulation of cultural perspective with C.L.S. when she noticed a "Medicine Wheel button" of the amiskwaciy Academy the Carver sported on a lapel. To be sure, the Academy has become a very close friend of the Carver, and, as seen elsewhere, the Homeglen School of One collaborates with the institution on pilot programs designed to enhance education and literacy. C.L.S. explained to the Carver that when she was still a teenager she arrived to Edmonton from the territory of a Cree community found far North and East of the capital city. Shorlty thereafter, she was readily embraced by the amiskwaciy Academy as a new student. She eventually graduated from the Indigenous school, and she also noted that the opportunities provided by the amiskwaciy Academy were an incredible alternative for someone who had found herself alone and "at risk" in the inner-city. The amiskwaciy Academy, she further recounted, helped find her a job, provided her with a sense of community, taught her Indigenous knowledge and the enormous value of the wisdom of Elders, and furnished her with a solid "Western" education, one that closely adheres to the standards of the Province of Alberta and Edmonton Public Schools. While she originally thought that after she graduated she would be a "stay-at-home mom", she still continued to work and distinguished herself as as an administrative assistant. And when things did not work out on the relationship front as planned, as a "single mother" she decided to go to univerisity and enrol in Native Studies. She recalls how the lessons she learned at amiskwaciy informed this decision and helped her face the challenges of an Adult Learner returning to school while raising a family.

There are actually two carvings that will travel with C.L.S., and only one of them will be seen in this e-space. The stone for this particular carving she uses for Project Y150 YEG-GA was found in and around a perch overlooking the bank of the North Saskatchewan River. Thanks to C.L.S.'s inspired and inspirational determination, Perseverance YEG-GA is dedicated to the individual historical agency, accomplishments and contributions of females alumni of the amiskwaciy Academy, especially those of them who continue to persevere in their education while maintaining their commitment to the culture of their Ancestors.

amiskwaciy Lessons Live!
Edmonton, March 21, 2017. -14/-22°C.

Today, I met the Carver and picked up my grandmother rock. We talked about life and how the amiskwaciy Academy shaped my life. I left my First Nation community at sixteen years old in search of a better life. When I was at the amiskwaciy Academy I always felt at home, and I worked at the Edmonton Municipal Airport to get by. The Academy offered a sense of belonging. Since then, I had five children and I recently returned to school. I now attend the University of Alberta.

I'm doing my best to focus on the positive side of things after living a challenging life full of negatives. I will be using my YEG-GA carving to create peace and harmony within my spirit. Life can be tough. But with the strength of knowing our identity, we can persevere through life's toughest battles.

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