12 students receive 2023 Indigenous student award from Alberta School Boards Association

April 15, 2023, Edmonton, AB —Alberta School Boards Association’s (ASBA) 2023 Honouring Spirit: Indigenous Student Awards ceremony was held on April 15 at Government House to recognize 12 exceptional First Nations, Métis and Inuit students, selected from 224 nominees.

The ceremony included remarks from the Honourable Salma Lakhani, AOE B.Sc., LLD (Hon), Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, the Honourable Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Education, and ASBA’s President Marilyn Dennis.

Recipients in Kindergarten to Grade 12 from across Alberta were nominated by members of their education communities, based on their exemplary leadership, courage, and commitment to their cultures and educational paths. Please view the backgrounder for the full list of recipients.

Recipient recognition

These awards are presented annually to First Nations, Métis or Inuit student nominees who attend a school in Alberta operated by an ASBA member school board. Each recipient is recognized with:

• An award certificate and congratulatory letter;
• A unique hand-crafted Star Blanket;
• And, a one-time scholarship, sponsored by Keyera.

As a five-year sponsor of the 2022-2026 awards, Keyera will be providing a one-time $2,500 scholarship to each student recipient to acknowledge their achievements and support their educational journeys. To this point, the scholarship has been presented to both 2022 and 2023 recipients.

A special thank you to our Indigenous Advisory Council for their contributions and guidance in honouring the award recipients. Additionally, ASBA appreciates the effort and support from the members on the award selection committee representing the Alberta School Councils’ Association, the Alberta Teachers’ Association, the College of Alberta School Superintendents, and ASBA’s Indigenous Advisory Council.

The awards were also sponsored this year by Alberta Education.

About ASBA

ASBA supports Alberta’s 61 locally-elected public, separate and francophone school boards. As a supportive, province-wide association, ASBA brings the different voices of Alberta’s school boards together, and advocates on behalf of its membership. For more information visit, www.asba.ab.ca. 

Media inquiries:
Katy Campbell
Director of Communications, Alberta School Boards Association
780.451.7137
kcampbell@asba.ab.ca