In this keynote and afternoon workshop, Katisha Paul will guide teachers and staff through the practical work of integrating Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and seeing into the everyday lives of young learners. She will draw on the importance of celebrating intergenerational excellence and making space for First Nations protocols and sacred teachings within curriculum. Sooke School District staff will explore why First Nations knowledge systems are essential to education, offering vital teachings in environmental protection, governance, language, mental health, and storytelling.

The morning Keynote presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with Indigenous valedictorians from across the district, who share their lived experiences navigating the education system and their solutions for building a stronger, more culturally grounded learning environment for the next generation. Teachers and staff will leave with concrete ways to bring Indigenous knowledge systems into their classrooms.