A new school in Colwood has been searching for a name since its inception and now it has one thanks to the generosity of a local First Nation.
The Sooke School District Board of Education (SD62) announced on Monday, August 14th that the Sc’ianew First Nation had bestowed a name for the new, unnamed elementary school on Latoria Road.
The Sc’ianew First Nation’s Peoples speak nine different and unique languages, one of which is the SENĆOŦEN language.
SĆIȺNEW̱ SṮEȽIṮḴEȽ is the new name which was gifted to SD62 by the Peoples of the Sc’ianew First Nation. It translates to “salmon children” in the SENĆOŦEN language.
“We are extremely proud to gift this name to the Sooke School District,” said Russ Chipps, Chief of Sc’ianew First Nation.
The name search was led by a respected elder and knowledge keeper. She tried to find something that would reflect their culture that also represented a place of learning for the children of tomorrow.
SĆIȺNEW̱ refers to the abundance and richness of sea life in the region that sustains the land its people while the word SṮEȽIṮḴEȽ means children and, in their culture, children are the most precious resource.
The name may be hard for some to pronounce at first, but by learning the name and respecting what it means, a true act of reconciliation will be taking place for all of those who are involved in SD62 in some way.
The pronunciation is available through the video below:
This new name will not erase the past and the history of educational institutions being unsafe for Indigenous Peoples, but it is a new sign of hope going forward that the same mistakes will never be made again.
“When I went to school, I was taught that my own language was a sin, that it was wrong and I was punished when I spoke my language,” said Lavina Charles, Elder from Sc’ianew First Nation.
“Together we are learning the language of this land that was forgotten by force and I hope a school name in our language makes it better for not only our children but all children.”
SD62 held a consultation period for what the name should be earlier this year and one of the top suggestions was a name that would have significance to the First Nations of the area.
SĆIȺNEW̱ SṮEȽIṮḴEȽ is set to open in fall 2025 with 480 seats for students in kindergarten through grade five.
