Two months after the Berens River First Nation’s school burned down, the more-than-400 affected students are back in class, thanks to the efforts of the First Nation and the Frontier School Division. Some students were offered space at Frontier Collegiate in Cranberry Portage, Manitoba; others are studying at Berens River community sites such as the adult education centre and community council building. “We have eight locations where we have provided supplies and new furniture and tables and books and libraries, everything as quick as we can get it into the school so there’s a level of normalcy for the kids,” said Frontier School Division Superintendent Tyson MacGillivray. “That’s been really important, and we’ve had really good support from the community of Berens River and the First Nation around getting these spaces up to school standards.” The division’s short-term goal is to secure temporary classrooms in time for the 2026-27 school year, while the long-term goal is to build a new school.
