'Take care of each other': Dawson City school orders custom masks for its students

The school in Dawson City, Yukon, wants students to remember a key message this year: Hǫzǫ łëkʼä̀trʼë̀nòcha — we take care of each other.

Robert Service School has ordered face masks for all students bearing that Hän language message, as the principal looks at recommending or mandating masks in certain higher-risk areas.

"There's an opportunity for us to lead by example in terms of how things operate at the school level for the benefit of the community," said principal Brian Lewthwaite. The kindergarten to Grade 12 school has roughly 250 students.

Schools across Yukon are planning heightened safety measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with final plans due Aug. 12.

Students won't have to wear masks all the time, but Lewthwaite said they might make masks mandatory in the community library, which is inside the school and open to the public.

Masks may also be recommended in high-traffic areas inside the school, he said.

Yukon's health and safety guidelines do not recommend masks for students or staff, although the Department of Education says people can wear one if they wish. 

Lewthwaite said there's been a lot of conversations with the community, and he wants to be proactive.

"People are making it very clear they want a collective, caring approach to what we do, where there's a community response to this," he said.

'A collective, caring approach'

Some provinces are making masks compulsory for students and staff. 

Ontario has mandated masks at all times indoors for Grades 4 to 12 students. In Alberta, students from Grades 4 through 12 will be required to wear masks in public spaces, while Nova Scotia students must wear masks while travelling on buses, as well as in the common areas of high schools.

In Dawson City, all students will be given a specially-designed mask that says Hǫzǫ łëkʼä̀trʼë̀nòcha, which means "we take care of each other," said Georgette McLeod, education manager for Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation.

Hǫzǫ łëkʼä̀trʼë̀nòcha will be something of a motto in the coming year.

"We wanted to emphasize taking care of each other,"  McLeod said.

"We want to make sure that this phrase is present and used throughout the school."

Community anxious and relieved

Dawson City, with a population of around 1,400, is a popular tourist destination.

Residents were anxious this weekend, after two travellers in the region later tested positive for COVID-19 outside Yukon.

There's a mix of relief and anxiety about getting back to the classroom, said Lewthwaite, who wants to have protocols appropriate for the unique community.

"The community is really pleased that we're going back to school, but they also realize it's very vulnerable," said Lewthwaite.

People want to use school masks as a teaching opportunity, he said, as other businesses in the community adopt mask policies.

Lewthwaite says he would rather mask-wearing already be established within the school, "rather than being thrust into it as an obligation" without prior education. He says they're also thinking of students' family members at home.

'We can't just do schooling as normal'

Robert Service School is also considering breaking students into smaller teaching groups and limiting mixing between classes. Principals and other administrators will be in front of the classroom teaching smaller groups, Lewthwaite said.

The K-12 school is divided into different areas for different ages, which have distinct entryways.They also have staggered lunch and recess breaks, which was recommended in Yukon's school safety guidelines.

But there will be no full-school assemblies this year, Lewthwaite said, and masks may be mandated on certain field trips.

Lewthwaite met with custodians Tuesday morning to discuss cleaning needs.

"We realized the only way to reduce anxiety is to make sure the communication is good and that we're listening," he said.

Yukon schools are back to class between Aug. 18 and 20, depending on staff training days.

"There's a silver lining to [the COVID-19 pandemic] because it makes us realize that we just can't do schooling as normal," Lewthwaite said.

"There has to be a lot more attention to ... individual needs and anxieties and working in smaller groupings as necessary."