Calgary school’s ‘North Trail’ name honours Siksika stories, land
Posted Apr 7, 2023 4:26 pm.
The new high school in Calgary’s Coventry Hills neighbourhood officially has a name.
North Trail High School was selected by the Board of Trustees after a community naming survey and consultations with an Indigenous Elder.
A committee consisting of Calgary Board of Education (CBE) trustees, parents, community representatives, and members of the CBE administration put forward recommendations based on those consultations.
We are excited to share that North Trail High School is the name of the new high school under construction in the community of Coventry Hills. To read more about the significance of this name, read our latest story: https://t.co/Uftri2zp3m pic.twitter.com/M3PQuWqm7x
— Calgary Board of Education (@yyCBEdu) April 7, 2023
The name North Trail is inspired by stories of the land where the school is being built, which were shared by the Elder.
“The North Trail includes the trails used by the Siksika and honours the warriors and ancestors. Warriors would travel this trail to prepare for new birth (spring). The trail may also have been used by the Cree to enter Blackfoot territory to negotiate treaties and possibly trade,” the CBE said in a statement.
“On this land, the area may once have been a place for harvesting tobacco. The area may also have been a natural pharmacy where medicines were harvested, as well as Saskatoon berries and chokecherries. The Northern Lights can be seen from this spot.”
The school is still under construction and will welcome students who live in the communities of Country Hills, Country Hills Village, Coventry Hills, Harvest Hills, Hidden Valley, and Panorama Hills.
When it opens in September, it will serve students in Grade 10-11. It will expand to include Grade 12 the following year.
