Engagement brings education partners together to participate in a cycle of continuous improvement for positive change.

SD8’s education partners collaborate regularly during the year in the Education Partner Advisory Committee. The committee members are from the following:

• Board of Education
• SD8 Senior Team
• Kootenay Lake Teachers’ Association (KLTF)
• Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 748
• Kootenay Lake Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association (KLPVPA)
• District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC)
• Student Trustees
• Members of exempt staff

SD8 continues to invite Rights Holders through the Aboriginal Committee of Education (ACE) and the Lower Kootenay Band’s Aboriginal Committee of Education to support Indigenous student success.

SD8 focuses on equity, diversity, inclusion and Indigenization through all professional development and events. For example, the Aboriginal Education department holds cultural learning events including:

• Rights Holders Awareness virtual and in-person teachings, role models & storytelling & 2SLGBTQ+ teachings
• Residential school awareness and district-wide acknowledgement of Orange Shirt Day
• Lessons on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two Spirit Peoples (MMIWG2S)
• District-wide Reconciliation Run wuqanqankimik, inspired by local Chief Jason Louie’s teachings: “to walk with long strides—to take big steps”
• Annual Pow Wow and Indigenous graduate honouring ceremony

SD8 continues to develop relationships with post-secondary institutions across the province and country. This has redirected attention to post-secondary transitions for students and allowed the district to foster a special relationship with those closest to us:

• Selkirk College
• University of British Columbia (UBC)—West Kootenay Teacher Education Program (WKTEP)
• College of the Rockies
• UBC Okanagan
• Okanagan College
• Thompson Rivers University