Empowering your future at
Gaagagekiizhik Elementary and
Bimose Community High School
True learning requires holistic care. We ensure every student is nourished and ready to succeed from the moment they arrive:
We believe in honoring our youth for their commitment, hard work, and positive choices. Every month, the school holds a community celebration to lift up our students’ achievements:
At Gaagagekiizhik Elementary and Bimose Community High School, language and culture are not separate subjects taught for one hour a day. They are the foundation of our entire educational model. We weave Anishinaabe knowledge systems, oral histories, and spiritual protocols directly into the Ontario Curriculum requirements, allowing our youth to build a powerful academic future while standing firm in their identity.
Guided by Our Elders & Cultural Team
Our students are surrounded by the wisdom of our respected in-house Elders, Howard and Sheila Copenace, alongside Thunder Bird and Wanda McQuabbie. They provide safe spiritual anchors, storytelling, and cultural validation within our daily classrooms.
Our classrooms extend deep into the natural world. Elementary and high school students regularly travel to Makate Waagamichiwanang Gakinaa’amaatiwin Youth and Family Wellness Camp for immersive, hands-on environmental education.
At Gaagagekiizhik Elementary and Bimose Community High School, we are proud to provide a culturally grounded, relationship-based learning environment where students are supported academically, emotionally, spiritually, and physically as they grow into strong Anishinaabeg leaders of the future.
As a small, community-focused Anishinaabe school in Kenora, we are able to build meaningful relationships with each student and family. Our size allows staff to work intentionally alongside learners, providing personalized support, one-on-one guidance, and opportunities for students to feel seen, valued, and connected.
Our school community is rooted in the teachings of mino-bimaadiziwin and guided by the Seven Grandfather eachings. Anishinaabe language, culture, and ceremony are woven throughout daily learning and across subject areas. Students participate in regular cultural experiences including weekly Monday morning ceremonies, daily nudging and prayer, traditional teachings, land-based learning, and opportunities to learn directly from Knowledge Keepers, Elders, staff, and community partners.
Through our ongoing partnership with MWG Youth and Family Wellness Camp, students regularly engage in experiential and outdoor learning opportunities that strengthen identity, wellness, resilience, leadership, and connection to the land.
Alongside our strong cultural foundation, we are committed to providing engaging and meaningful academic brogramming that prepares students for success in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous worlds. Bimose Community High School continues to expand its course offerings to meet student interests and future pathways, including cooperative education, outdoor education, and new opportunities in skilled trades programming in the coming school year.
We believe learning happens in many ways. Our students are encouraged to demonstrate their gifts, knowledge, and understanding through authentic, hands-on experiences that honour their individual strengths, voices, and journeys.
We welcome families to visit our schools and experience a supportive learning community where culture, academics, identity, wellness, and relationships are at the center of everything we do.
Miigwech,
Stay instantly connected with daily student highlights, upcoming cultural events, and ongoing community activities by following our School on Facebook.
