Indigenous needs aren’t ‘static,’ says student school board trustee
Ezio De Stefano, 16, ‘excited’ to be first Indigenous student trustee of Ottawa school board
Grade 11 student Ezio De Stefano says Indigenous perspectives are “crucial” when discussing Indigenous issues in school and education. De Stefano, an urban Inuk, is the first-ever Indigenous student trustee with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. (Photo by Madalyn Howitt)
An Ottawa school board’s new Indigenous student trustee says she’s ready to advocate for her fellow Indigenous students.
Ezio De Stefano, 16, is in Grade 11 at John McCrae Secondary School in the city’s Barrhaven neighbourhood.
In September, she’ll take on the newly created position at Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. It’s a first of its kind in Ottawa, according to school board spokesperson Darcy Knoll.
“I was very surprised but I was very excited,” De Stefano said when Nunatsiaq News caught up with her between classes on Wednesday.
“It’s really my thing. I’m excited to fill this position and hopefully help other Indigenous students thrive in their classes.”
The trustee role specifically for an Indigenous student was created to amplify Indigenous voices in educational decision-making processes, Knoll said in February.
Approximately 1,500 students, or two per cent of the student population of the Ottawa-Carleton board, have self-identified as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
De Stefano considers herself an urban Inuk. She’s always lived in the south, but has family roots on Baffin Island.
In 2019, she moved to Ottawa from Edmonton, skipping a grade in the process. The experience of that cross-country move inspired her to run for the position.
“Moving here from Alberta, it was a bit of a complicated process. Because of my age, they wanted me to skip a grade,” she said.
“That was a very difficult transition for me, both academically and socially, and I received very bare minimum support for that, especially as an Indigenous student.”
When she learned a trustee position had been formed specifically for an Indigenous student, De Stefano jumped at the opportunity to help represent her fellow Indigenous classmates across the city.
“My first thought was, this is the position for me,” she said.
“I have a meaningful experience to contribute and hopefully [can] use that to help bring more Indigenous students to a place like where I am right now.”
She said she believes her experience gives her empathy for other Indigenous students’ experiences, as well as the capacity to ask critical questions about Indigenous issues in the school system.
De Stefano submitted a video and written application that was added to the ballot. She won against two other candidates in the election, held Feb. 28.
As part of her duties, De Stefano will attend conferences at the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association and attend student senate meetings and board meetings along with two other student trustees for the Ottawa-Carleton board.
While she won’t have an official vote on the board, she’ll be able to consult with other trustees, share opinions and advocate for Indigenous students.
“There’s a lot of responsibilities that come with the role. It’s going to be hard to keep up with, but I think I’m up to the task,” she said.
Having an Indigenous perspective on the board is crucial when addressing Indigenous issues, De Stefano said, and could help ensure Indigenous students receive equitable access to resources, mental health support and more.
“Our needs aren’t static,” she said.
Her favourite subjects at school are English and history. When she’s not learning about computers, studying with friends and keeping up with current events, De Stefano likes to study languages, particularly French and Spanish.
She welcomes Indigenous students in the school board to reach out to her if they have something on their mind.
“I’m an open book,” she said.
“Never be afraid to shoot me an email, contact me and advocate for your community. You should never be ashamed of trying to do better for your community and trying to improve your standard of school.”
Has this Urban Inuk been raised by Inuit parents?
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What exactly is meant by, “I received very bare minimum support for that, especially as an Indigenous student”? I believe as somebody that has been raised in the South, the experience of advancing a grade while moving from Edmonton to Ottawa, although potentially difficult, is really no different than a person of any other race/culture doing the same thing. What additional supports should an urban Indigenous person have for this experience that somebody else should not?
In this context “as an indigenous person” is an utterance meant to advertise distinct sociological status, and to expect a particular kind of reception from the world. It is a way to remind us that one is member of a unique class of that has endured unique hardship. It is an identity marker that says “I am a victim because my ancestors were victims.” Therefore, any experience of hardship is an injustice, to be met with pity, outrage and quick redress from the world around me. That world, after all, has victimized me.
Of course, we all suffer hardship is life. The ‘narzissmus der kleinen differenzen’ (narcissism of small differences) tells us ours is unique and informs and marks a distinct identity which must be emphasized lest that identity be lost.
this is a very bad question, obviously the support would be from an indigenous student support coordinator, and they would help the student integrate and feel welcomed into a new environment. this could be inviting the student to community events with other indigenous students from ottawa, counselling, arranging tutoring, helping to acquire funding for their education needs from indigenous organizations and MANY more. use your brain for something other than writing elaborate bad questions and you’ll find the answer is right in front of you 🙂
Skipping a grade on arrival in Ottawa from Edmonton is not all that surprising. Alberta schools do a significantly better job than most schools in Ontario. That said, a parent told me of her son moving from Rankin Inlet to Ottawa expecting him to go into Grade 7. But his level of schooling to that point rated at Ontario’s Grade 3 level.
Not a surprise. The education system in Nunavut is broken. Kids learn nothing from K to 4. They arrive in grade 5 bi-illeterate. They cannot read and write in English or Inuktitut. The main reason, no qualified teachers from K to 4 and the Inuktitut program is broken. They need ESL in high-school not ENG. On top of that the Alberta curriculum is awful. Alberta has the lowest graduation rate of all of the provinces. Nunavut is last in Canada with a graduation rate of 39%. System broken.
Is it the Education system that is broken in Nunavut, or is it the parents of the students who cause the low graduation and attendance.
Thanks CC, some truth in what you say; some not.
“Alberta has the lowest graduation rate of all of the provinces.”
Of course, Alberta has close to the highest high-school graduation rates in the country at 86%, dragged down by some of the low statistics in ‘remote’ Alberta communities.
It also has a very strong curriculum, with among the highest post-secondary achievement as well, including STEM, Commerce and other professions, and trades.
Graduation rates in Nunavut are closer to 10% – if one considers a graduation certificate that would allow the holder to enroll in a post-secondary diploma or degree program outside of Nunavut.
As an Urban Indigenous parent, I feel your comments are a little off base considering none of you have met Ezio or endured a school system that just sees you as Indigenous. But I respect your views and I neither Ezio are surprised at yet more unfounded criticisms lol
So, kind of like Nunavut where the system that just sees you as ‘white’ and doesn’t care if you are Anglo/Franco/Canadian or a recent immigrant?
Good to know of the similarities of our systems and how non-dominant ethnic groups are seen.
I guess so, that’s the thing about participating in public schools! If you’re the minority, it can be a tough go of it! Which I find frustrating as often adults are telling kids to celebrate diversity and differences! But not always so great at putting it to practice
What makes being in a minority (when, increasingly, our schools are the place of pluralities) a difficulty?
I also wonder what you mean when you say there are problems putting ‘diversity’ into practice?
Maybe a problem with the growing fanaticism around ‘diversity’ is the expectation it creates among everyone with an identity that their ‘voice’ fill the room. Anything less is a failure somehow.
This kind of narcissism seems inevitable when we place collections of fantasy and fiction at the center of a childs being in the world (adults too, for that matter).
The sad truth is, if you grew up in the south in the southern system, you don’t have any understanding of Inuit perspective and Inuit living standards. You grew up in a southern system amongst other non-Inuks. Just being born Inuk and being raised in the south, doesn’t give you experience as an Inuk in Nunavut, regardless of your roots. You didn’t live here, go to school here, so you have no experience. You even skipped a grade, that is unheard of for an Inuk who grew up in Nunavut going to Ottawa and skipping a grade. The education system up here is poor and not at the same standards to southern Canada. This proves you grew up in a good southern system, unlike Inuit in Nunavut.
It be like saying a Canadian who has Ukrainian roots, understands what it’s like to be Ukrainian in the Ukraine. They would have zero understanding.
The Ottawa school board is just creating another check box to cover to show they are inclusive and meeting the needs of Inuit. The fact is, they are not helping. You are giving someone a position who has no understanding of what it’s like to struggle as an Inuk from Nunavut who’s now going to school in Ottawa. You are taking someone from Alberta who simply identifies as Inuk. Not the same.
David, your comment is spot on. A non-inuk Nunavut student probably have better insight than an Inuk who only has family roots on to Baffin Island (big island by the way) but have never been to Nunavut.
I am a member of the Indigenous Education Council for the Ottawa Carleton District School Board and we have been working with the board to create this position for several years. This is not a “check in the box”. Our goal is to create a space of mentorship and growth within the Indigenous community as we continue a working relationship with many levels of the Board and in school communities.
I am surprised at the lack of support shown by the Inuit community on this sight. Ottawa has the largest urban Inuit population in the country, it is fitting for Ezio De Stefano to be the first Indigenous Student Trustee. She is brave, intelligent, and resilient which are the beautiful attributes I believe to be reflective of your community. We are honored to have Ezio as our first representative of the student Indigenous community and look forward to supporting her in this new and important role.
Has the Ottawa school board reached out to Tunngasuvigat Inuit, Pauktutit, Nunavut Sivuniksavut, ITK or even Child Services? Other then having a large urban Inuit population, there are a large number of Inuit children from Nunavut in the foster care system in Ottawa. Have you considered their needs?
If you want support from the Inuit community, then you should be reaching out to the Inuit community, listening to their concerns, listing them and show us an action plan to address those concerns or a plan to accommodate Inuit.
I don’t doubt how brave, intelligent and resilient Ezio may be, but how can someone who’s never grown up in a Inuit setting (Nunavut), who’s grown up in the southern school system really understand the struggles an Inuit child may encounter with the southern school system?
In my opinion, this shows a lack of serious consideration by the Ottawa school boards. You simply placed someone who identifies as an Inuk with roots in the Baffin, who grew up in Alberta in a position that’s suppose to help urban Inuit from Ottawa. She checks all the boxes.
Dear ‘Ottawa,’ I know you’ve come to sprinkle glitter with tales about “creating spaces for this and that”… undoubtedly these are very clever comments and of course no one understands quite the way you do…
However, I must sadly observe you haven’t said a single interesting or insightful thing, and have avoided entirely the critique, which by contrast was interesting and insightful.
Admittedly, that would be risky for you to do. Fine, but don’t be under the illusion this vapid architecture of cliche you’ve erected is anything but obvious in its avoidance of the issue.
Not only do I believe that this appointment is a “check in the box”, but I believe the entire existence of your Indigenous Education Council is a “check in the box” for the Ottawa Carleton District School Board.