By Cheryl Jahn

New carving unveiled at Cedars

Oct 4, 2022 | 4:02 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – A bond has been forged between the students at Cedars Christian School and the Lheidli T’enneh. The eagle carving about the gymnasium wall and the young drummers who joined the carver, Clayton Gauthier, speak volumes.

“We started this carving last year, at the beginning of the school year,” explains Gautier. “Even before that, there was collaboration, talking with elders.”

The carving was borne of a relationship formed between he and Jamie Erbacher back when she was a Grade Three teacher at Cedars. The word she used many times to describe him was gracious. She says more than anything, Clayton’s patience has been rewarding. “We’ve really appreciated the willingness to partner with us. That’s a big thing from an Indigenous aspect to come into a school. Another barrier is we are a Chritian school and there’s a lot of history and trauma there.”

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The carving is not a solo project for Clayton. A number of the students had a hand in creating the piece of art. “Oh, it was such a blessing,” says Gautier. “Some of the kids are natural. Some of them picked up those tools right away and knew exactly what to do.”

The cedar came all the way from Haida Gwaii and the colours of the carving are significant. The black represents humility and the red represents life … as he says … we all bleed red. So the eagle will forever grace the entrance to the new gym.

Home of the Cedars Eagles.