History
Shawahnekizhek Academy was started in 1984 as the Saddle Lake Christian School and was situated in the Hamlet of Spedden, Alberta, Canada. As of January 1, 2015, the school has changed its name to Shawahnekizhek Academy. The name is Ojibwe for Henry Bird Steinhauer. Henry was a Methodist missionary, school teacher and translator/interpreter.
The school started out with 40 students and used the ACE Program (Accelerated Christian Education), and is also subject to the Alberta Education-approved curriculum.
Over 300 students have graduated from the Saddle Lake Christian School over the past 30 years, from Kindergarten, Grade 6 and Grade 9.
The school has weekly chapel and a hot lunch program, with yearly field trips for the children.
Some of the places and activities we have taken children in the past include skiing, bowling, the St. Albert Children’s Festival.
In 2011, trailers were donated from the Fort Saskatchewan Christian School. Since then, the school has been in operation on the reserve since 2012.
The academy has been through some changes and looks forward to serving the people of Saddle Lake, AB.
Presently, we are situated on the northern part of the Indian Reservation of Saddle Lake known as Cache Lake #125A.