Hamiota Schools: Small, but Good!

I’m very fortunate to work at a great school with a talented staff and very supportive surrounding communities. Hamiota Elementary is a small, rural school in Manitoba, Canada. Our 126 Kindergarten to Grade 5 students come together from several small communities, with many of them riding the bus to school each day. There’s a lot to like about Hamiota Schools, but here’s a few things that make them special to me:

Community Support: The communities surrounding our schools give us wonderful support. Parents, grandparents and community members are overwhelmingly important in making things happen at Hamiota Schools. They make hot lunches for our students, coach sports, volunteer to help with special projects and support us in educating our students. Even the older students from Hamiota Collegiate, our Grade 6-12 school, help out on a regular basis. It’s great to know that you have people willing to help!

Rural Roots: We are an agriculture area about 80 kilometers from the nearest city. There’s just something special about that “small town” feel. Familiar faces, kind words, caring people and a close-knit community make me feel lucky to be part of this rural community.

We Know How to Celebrate: Our school and community come together for special occasions. We share our learning, our talents and our creativity. From the Halloween costume parade to the Christmas play and Field Day, it’s always fun to bring people together for a special day! Often our school gym is packed with friends and family for these events (standing room only applies in many cases!)

Supportive Colleagues: The staff at HES are like none other! Besides working hard to provide students with a high-quality education, staff members support each other and work together. There’s always a team of staff ready to tackle a special school event or to help a fellow educator. We also have a lot of fun together! The people in this building will help you celebrate a big achievement (or even just your birthday) and they’ll be there when you’re going through tough times.

We’ve got a lot to offer: For small schools, we offer our students a lot of opportunities. In addition to a strong academic program, there's lots of other worthwhile activities going on. Students can get involved with sports, be a peer mentor, tackle special projects, participate in speech and music festivals, have a part in the Christmas play and more!

We might be small schools, but we’re good schools and I'm proud to be a part of the staff at Hamiota!