Full Breakdown
Land-Based Learning Revitalizes Education at Elsie Fabian School, Fort McKay
4/28/2026, 5:20:43 AM
Immersive Curriculum on the Land
Elsie Fabian School, a K-9 Indigenous-run school on the Fort McKay First Nation (?420 km northeast of Edmonton), embeds land-based learning in the daily schedule. Activities include scraping moose hides, building shelters, planting vegetables, setting traps, and practicing Cree and Dene languages.
Historical and Cultural Context
The program reflects a national push to reconnect Indigenous youth with ancestral lifeways, preserving language and traditional ecological knowledge while fostering community pride.
Educators and Community Leaders
Principal Sarah Hiscock leads the school. Land-based learning teacher Carleen Spencer designs the outdoor modules. Educational assistant Reanna Whiteknife, a granddaughter of the school’s namesake, helps run sessions. Student Harley Gladue participates in the classes.
Evidence from Comparative Research
A 2025 review in the *International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health* examined 153 land-based programs across Canada and the United States. The authors concluded that exposure to nature reduces stress, improves mood, enhances attention span, and promotes physical activity among youth.
Educational and Health Outcomes
School leaders observe improved behavior, higher grades, and stronger Cree/Dene language use since the program began. Staff note reduced anxiety and shyness among students, attributing these changes to outdoor, culturally relevant activities that counter sedentary lifestyles.
Why It Matters
The observed gains in behavior, grades, language proficiency, and reduced anxiety illustrate how land-based curricula can address both educational and health challenges for Indigenous youth, supporting cultural continuity while meeting broader public-health goals identified in recent research.
Official School Statements
Principal Sarah Hiscock reports that the school has observed marked improvements in student happiness, engagement, and language retention. Carleen Spencer notes that the outdoor curriculum may help offset health issues linked to sedentary habits. Reanna Whiteknife emphasizes the aim of fostering confidence in students after they learn Cree or Dene lessons.
Student Perspective
Harley Gladue expressed enthusiasm for the outdoor sessions, noting that they break the routine of classroom confinement and recalling that he and classmates built numerous small shelters in the woods the previous year, indicating ongoing interest in land-based projects.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I like that we get to go outside and not, like, [stuck] in a classroom,” — Harley Gladue, student
- “I have seen a significant improvement across the board. Kids are happy to be here. You see it in the language and the land-based [learning] and the culture. When you put that as a foundation of the school, it’s just a part of the day,” — Sarah Hiscock, principal
- “Exposing youth to the outdoors and ancestral lifeways could counteract the negative health impacts of our increasingly sedentary lifestyle.” — Carleen Spencer, land-based learning teacher
- “We want these kids to walk around with their heads held high, being able to go home and tell their mom, 'I learned this in Cree class today,’ or ‘I learned this in Dene class today,’” — Reanna Whiteknife, educational assistant
