You are building a model that will be of value far beyond the walls of Mamawi Atosketan Native School.
May 16, 2016, was a historic day for the Mamawi Atosketan Native School (MANS) community, the Alberta Conference, and all MANS supporters. The ground-breaking ceremony and the powwow that followed were the culmination of years of faith and hard work on the part of the teachers and principals who are on the front lines; on the part of parents, community members and the people far and wide who support it and its mission; and the steering committee that works hard behind the scenes to keep the funds coming in to build the new high school.
One year later the walls are up, and the expectations are high. A charitable family foundation in Calgary with no prior connection to MANS was impressed with the success of our school and the positive effect it is having on our youth. The family generously donated $80,000 to the construction of the high school, writing that "You are building a model that will be of value far beyond the walls of MANS."
Perhaps the greatest miracle of all, however, is the trust that has grown among the families of Maskwacis, who, despite the brutality many of them experienced in religious residential schools, believe in MANS. They entrust their precious children to us every day, believing that we will keep them safe and give them a reason to hope.