High school graduation now a point of pride for Indigenous community in northern Alberta

Angela Marcel was almost 40 years old when she graduated from high school. 

"I remember always kicking myself that I didn't continue my education," said Marcel, a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation who lives in Fort Chipewyan, Alta., a tiny community about 740 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

She got the chance to earn her diploma thanks to innovative programming at Therese Tuccaro Secondary School, an Indigenous-led school launched in 2020 to combat a worrying lack of students graduating from high school.

Between 2016 and 2019, only two students graduated from the high school serving the area. That prompted an education emergency to be declared in 2019 by the Mikisew Cree First Nation, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and Fort Chipewyan Métis.

In the five years since Therese Tuccaro opened as an independent nation, on-reserve school, 122 students have successfully earned their high school diplomas.

Cultural traditions

The school is unique in that it incorporates Indigenous traditions and cultural practices into its teaching, said Kerri Ceretzke, the school's principal and director of education for the Mikisew Cree First Nation.

"We also have a lot of land-based learning," said Ceretzke. 

"There's moose hunting in the fall time. There is ice fishing. There's sweetgrass picking and braiding. The cultural component is not a one-off, it's woven into what we do," she said. 

Therese Tuccaro, the school's namesake, was an advocate for Indigenous education and a member of education boards and councils. She died in 2023 but her descendants are among the school's graduates.

The school, which operates year-round, has 117 active students in the 2024-25 school year. 

About half of the students are members of the Mikisew Cree First Nation, 25 per cent are from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, and 10 per cent are Fort Chipewyan Métis. The remainder is made up of non-Indigenous students as well as those from other Métis or First Nations. 

Almost a quarter of them are aged 22 and older. 

'Very inclusive'

Marcel said that for her, as well as younger students, the school's focus on cultural learning inspired her to go back every day.

"It's very inclusive," said Marcel, who graduated in March 2023.

"You have a student that's my age, in their 40s — and then you also have students that are 14 years old, or in their 20s, and they're all taking part in these cultural teachings that the high school does offer. It brings the community together." 

After graduating, Marcel enrolled into project management classes at the University of Alberta. Now, she works as a supervisor of recreation and programming at the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo while continuing to live in Fort Chipewyan. 

Two of her sons, inspired by her example, also went back to school to finish their secondary education. One of them was almost 20 when he graduated, and another was pushing 22. 

"They worked very hard, and they always referred to me — 'You know, that's the reason why I completed school was because my mom did it.'"

School has opened doors

Mikisew Cree Nation Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro said the school has opened many doors, both for the members of his nation and for the community as a whole. 

"When you come from not having graduates for many years, and then all of a sudden you have a influx of 122 — that's something that we can be proud of," he said. 

One of the school's goals is to partner with Alberta post-secondary institutions to offer higher education programming in Fort Chipewyan. 

Tuccaro said many of his people "feel more comfortable being around our community members," and having post-secondary offerings "would be monumental for us in the community here." 

The goal, he said, is "to have people that can walk in both worlds in regards to the Western education and our traditional knowledge, and to keep that going in regards to education here in community."