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New Brunswick·Ann's Eye

Governor General visits Wolastoqey immersion school

Mary Simon visited with the staff and students of Kehkimin in June to see more of the school that is helping Indigenous youth learn the language of their ancestors.

Mary Simon stops by Kehkimin, where Indigenous youth learn in their own language

CBC News ·
Two women with grey hair stand in a forest with their arms around each other.
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon met with Kehkimin school staff and students and community elders, including Elder Maggie Paul, during her visit to the Wolastoqey immersion school in June. (Ann Paul/CBC)

This is part of a series called Ann's Eye, featuring the work of Ann Paul, a Wolastoqey content creator. You can see more Ann's Eye pieces by clicking here.

Sitting in a circle around a drum on the forest floor, Ann Paul said a visit with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon felt like a family gathering.

Simon and her husband Whit Fraser were visiting Kehkimin, a Wolastoqey language immersion school that operates out of Killarney Lodge's ground floor. 

Ann wanted to know: why did Simon pick Kehkimin as a stop during her visit to New Brunswick?

"It's important for the language to stay alive," Simon told her.  

Scroll through the photos and watch the video to see more of her visit.

WATCH | Mary Simon explains why she wanted to visit Kehkimin:

Ann's Eye: How a Wolastoqey school welcomed Canada's first Indigenous Governor General

9 months ago
Duration 3:21
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon visited Kehkimin, a Wolastoqey immersion school for Indigenous youth who are learning the language of their ancestors.
A man with his grey hair braided down his back stands outside holding up a small flag for the woman standing in front of him to see.
Wolastoqey Grand Chief Ron Tremblay gifts Mary Simon a bundle of sweet-smelling grass and the Wolastoq flag. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A group of people sit on wooden chairs outside in a forest.
While Kehkimin operates out of the ground floor of Killarney Lodge, it also has an outdoor learning setting so students can learn in a more authentic way. (Ann Paul/CBC)
Two men and two women sit in wooden chairs in a forest.
'She was very down to earth, amazing, a personable person,' Ann Paul says of Gov. Gen. Mary Simon. (Ann Paul/CBC)
People gather for a group photo in a forest clearing.
While visiting with school staff, Paul says Simon offered advice on how Kehkimin could get more funding — an issue it's struggled with since opening in 2022. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A group of adults and children sit around a drum in a forest. They hold drum sticks in their hands.
Students and staff showed off all they've learned at Kehkimin, through music and games that incorporate the Wolastoqey language. (Ann Paul/CBC)
A man wearing a green t-shirt with black and green hair stands in front of a group of people sitting in a circle in a forest.
Kehkimin teaches students from kindergarten to Grade 4. (Ann Paul/CBC)
Two women with grey hair sit together outside in a forest. A blue hammock stretches behind them.
Mary Simon is Canada's first Indigenous Governor General. (Ann Paul/CBC)

Ann's Eye

Photographer Ann Paul brings an Indigenous lens to stories from First Nations communities across New Brunswick. Click here or on the image below to see more of her work. 

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