Because Water Matters by Christine Streich

What can water teach us about justice, connection, and care… for ourselves, our communities, and the world?

Centered around the sacredness and significance of water, the project invites high school students in a multi-age classroom (Grades 9–12) to explore water through multiple lenses These students, who bring with them diverse learning abilities, lived experiences, and often difficult relationships with education, are at the heart of this work. Many face systemic barriers such as trauma, learning disabilities, housing instability, and marginalization. This project aims to affirm their voices, reflect their realities, and build connection through community-based, multimodal learning.

Rooted in a blend of classroom exploration and place-based experiences, students will engage in walking trips where they will learn from the divisional Elder about the sacred role of water in our bodies, the land, and in life itself. Drawing from Gillian Judson’s Walking Curriculum and Dr. Bronwyn’s concept of place as an embodied and reflective experience, the project gives learning opportunities for movement and ‘noticing’. Students will explore texts such as River Woman by Katherena Vermette, engage with storybooks and articles, and analyze water justice issues such as the Shoal Lake 40 through videos, walks, and discussion.

Throughout the project, students will demonstrate their learning through a variety of multimodal expressions, including photography, poetry, spoken word, mapmaking, and reflective writing. Each student will create a Ripple Effects piece that pairs a powerful image with their own written or spoken reflections, allowing them to connect personal voice with visual storytelling to reflect their learning. These pieces will be showcased in a Gallery Night, turning the school into a space for reflection, dialogue, and shared learning.

The ultimate goal of this project is to deepen students’ sense of place, identity, agency, and

belonging through the inquiry of water. By learning about the water that surrounds them and the systems and stories that shape its flow, students not only grow as thinkers and creators, but also ripple their insights outward, inviting the wider school and community into their journey.