Northland School Division

Northland School Division is pleased to announce the appointment of Shelly Hamelin as Principal of Grouard Northland School. Shelly is no stranger to this jurisdiction. After graduating from the University of Lethbridge in 1998, she entered the education world teaching at Kateri School in Trout Lake. She move on to work in Blood Tribe, Alberta, Stoney Nation, Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation and for the Western Cree Tribal Council. During an 11 year period, she taught special education, knowledge and employability, assumed administration duties and held the Director of Education role at Western Cree Tribal Council. She did return to the jurisdiction in 2010 as a Pedagogical Supervisor and a year later accepted the Principal position at Hillview School in East Prairie.

Hamelin, who is working to complete a Multidisciplinary Master’s in Education Program from the University of Northern British Columbia, says she is excited for a new challenge in Grouard.

“I look forward to working with the community of Grouard to further build on the Literacy Initiative gains made so far and to continue to improve the academic success rate for our students,” said Hamelin. “I am eager to get to know the students support network of family, friends and community and am excited about the partnership opportunities that will arise out of this relationship.”

While attending the University of Lethbridge, Shelly obtained a Bachelor of Education Degree with a major in Social Studies Education and a minor in Native Education and a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a general major in Social Sciences. Hamelin, who is also a Northland local Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) representative, says she is eager to infuse First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) content into the curriculum. 

“As a Cree person I have always held a strong belief that by knowing your past and culture that you also know yourself and that this knowledge helps to build a firm foundation upon which other things can be added to create the unique person we become,” said Hamelin. “In times of stress a person will prove to be resilient and will overcome those challenges and oftentimes it is because of what our ancestors have endured and the experiences they have shared, their wisdom that assists us during our trials. With this in mind I am eager to infuse FNMI content into the curriculum, as well as provide the best instructional practices and experiences that will allow students to become knowledgeable and resilient learners.”