Post-secondary students in northern Saskatchewan returned to classes recently following the conclusion of a successful first term for the Northwest Saskatchewan Teacher Education Program (NWSTEP). NWSTEP is a fully-accredited degree program which is currently running in Beauval, allowing students to pursue a four-year bachelor of education closer to home. The program is sponsored by Northern Lights School Division and is offered in partnership with the University of Saskatchewan and the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan. Its first cohort of students began studies in the fall of 2024. “We had 19 students accepted into the program,” explained Beverly McLean, program coordinator. “They all did exceptionally well in the first semester. The cohort is made up of students from the surrounding area. Beauval was chosen as a centralized location, but four or five students are from Cole Lake, while others come from Cole Bay, Green Lake, Patuanak and Ile-a-la Crosse. My role is to oversee the day-to-day operations of the program. I have a range of responsibilities including program administration, communication, student support.” This is the first time the NWSTEP program is being offered in Beauval.
“NLSD, however, has had partnerships with Cumberland House and Pelican Narrows,” McLean said. “When I was talking to Arvelle Van Dyck, the director of undergraduate programs at the U of S’ College of Education, she told me NLSD had approached the university to see if there was a way to bring a cohort to Beauval. All the infrastructure is here. We have a classroom, we have everything we need here. The classroom is open every day. I have a fantastic, dedicated cohort of students. They are just awesome. Recruiting teachers to the north is difficult, and the same goes for our instructors. We couldn’t recruit all four the first term to come here face-to-face, so we connected with some of them via Zoom and it works very well.” Each instructor does three hours a week. “We did have two instructors come teach face-to-face, including one out of Meadow Lake,” McLean continued. “Davin Hildebrand works for the Northwest School Division, but would drive up and teach an evening class, sort of an introduction to education.” McLean went on to say the benefits of having the cohort here are multi-faceted.
“But, the very important piece here is the support offered to them in a community based program,” she noted. “We have access to the school here, and our purpose is to train the students with Indigenous background and Indigenous languages so cultural needs can be met as well. I have so much gratitude when watching the learning, and modelling and mentoring these students because I know the end result will be excellent teachers – teachers who can fill the many vacancies we have throughout the NLSD.”
The program is four years in length with convocation set for the spring of 2028 “NLSD has made a very good decision by bringing this cohort to Beauval,” McLean said. “It means our students don’t need to relocate. All the support is available to them here, and, for that, I am very much appreciative.”
Among the students currently enrolled in NWSTEP in Beauval is Kristal Krivoshein. “I have always wanted to go back to school to pursue my bachelor of education, so I was very excited to see the NWSTEP program was being held here in my hometown,” Krivoshein said. “This is such an amazing opportunity, and I am very excited to be a part of this class and to grow and learn alongside my classmates. It’s not every day we have programs being offered this close to home.”
This was echoed by fellow student Chyenne Opekokew. “What inspired me to pursue teaching as a career was the memories I had of my past elementary teachers and certain things they did that made an impact in my education,” Opekokew stated. “I chose this program as it was close to my hometown and close to my family in the north. Having this program close to home also makes it more affordable and brings people from different communities together.”