In honor of Native American Heritage Month, Belmont Weekday School (WDS) Director Kerry Galvin taught a special lesson to our Preschool and Pre-K classes about her Okanagan (Syilx) family and cultural traditions. She shared that Native Americans are the first people of this land and showed the children where her family originates in the mountain and lake regions of British Columbia.
Kerry brought photos, family artwork, beadwork made by her mother, and a handmade quilt to help students experience the colors, patterns, and stories in these traditions. She also played traditional music and a lullaby written by her mother, showing how music connects, grounds, and expresses gratitude in Native cultures.
The children learned that Native people – and Kerry’s own family – continue to carry these traditions forward today.