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belonging, and respect. School leadership spoke to the 
intentional work underway to build a community where every 
student is seen and valued.
“In a short amount of time, we have worked deliberately to design 
systems and structures that reflect who we want to be — systems 
centred on accessibility, inclusion, and dignity, so that every child 
can find themselves here,” said vice-principal Lisa Albrecht. “This 
has meant learning together as a staff; building strong teams and 
asking hard questions about how our decisions serve all students. 
From the very start, we said this would be a place where every 
story carries importance, where learning is relational, and where 
reconciliation is not an add-on, but a way of being. And we are 
honest enough to say today: we have much to do.”
The design of École Mazina-Giizhik reflects that same sense of 
connection and belonging. Inspired by the prairie landscape, each 
learning community within the school is represented by a native 
plant and colours that mirror the prairie sunset. These design 
elements are woven throughout signage, graphics, and learning 
tools, including the Seven Teachings, helping support both 
identity and a shared understanding of values.
The learning communities themselves are also uniquely 
connected to one of the Seven Teachings, further reinforcing the 
school’s commitment to fostering respectful relationships and 
holistic learning.
Together, the ceremony marked not only a new name, but a 
renewed commitment to truth, to learning and to walking forward 
in a good way. A young student who shared at the ceremony 
summed up the division’s thoughts well: “What an honour for our 
school to be named after Murray Sinclair.”

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