For Sean Oliver, the focus was on ensuring that these 
conversations became part of the fabric of school life.
“This year we knew it was all about embedding this learning in 
the division and building that capacity,” he said. “It was about 
demonstrating how to have conversations, how to get on the 
land and make meaning from those experiences.”
By spring, the impact of that approach was visible across the 
division. Student projects reflected months of learning, with a 
strong emphasis on local action and real-world connections, 
including environmental stewardship initiatives, explorations 
of Indigenous teachings and meaningful partnerships with 
community organizations.
Walking through the gathering, Simpson described a sense of 
both pride and possibility.
“It was a really powerful thing to see,” she said. “To look at all 
of the student learning that had happened and to see them 
engaged in what I believe are some of the most important 
conversations we can be having right now in the world.”
A key shift in the second year was the central role of students. 
Rather than observing or participating in pre-designed activities, 
students led the learning by presenting projects, sharing ideas 
and guiding conversations alongside community partners.
For Oliver, that student leadership stood out as both expected 
and inspiring.
“It’s a lesson to all of us that when we let students lead their 
learning … it just hits that much harder. It’s that much more 
authentic.”
What may have appeared on its surface to be a single, large-
scale celebration, the second annual Learning with the Land: A 
Gathering to Celebrate and Dream, was in fact the culmination of 
months of classroom inquiry, collaboration, and reflection across 
the Louis Riel School Division (LRSD). Throughout the 2025-26 
school year, students and staff engaged in a coordinated effort 
to explore sustainability, responsibility, and relationship to land, 
shaping learning that extended far beyond one day.
“It really was bigger than one day,” said Suzanne Simpson. “It was 
something profound to see those conversations we were having 
with staff members from different schools trickle down and 
happen again in classrooms with students.”
That work began early in the year, with a clear goal of embedding 
learning connected to sustainability, Indigenous perspectives, and 
global citizenship into classrooms across the division. Through 
a series of professional learning sessions, educators explored 
themes linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development 
Goals and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of 
Indigenous Peoples, building shared understanding and practical 
connections to their teaching.
These efforts align closely with Strategic Action 4.5: United 
Nations SDGs and the UNDRIP, which calls for students to engage 
meaningfully with global and Indigenous frameworks through 
their learning.
Across the division, that learning took many forms, from land-
based inquiry projects to community partnerships and student-
led initiatives. Educators worked to connect classroom learning 
to place, encouraging students to explore their responsibilities to the 
land, to one another, and to the communities they are part of.
48
By the time students gathered at The Forks on May 21, the learning had already taken root.
LEARNING
WITH THE
LAND
GROWS IN SECOND YEAR.
plants  sustainability  in  LRSD  soil

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