“The mission we have is to make sure we offer the best education possible to all Francophone students in Manitoba,” explains Laberge. This foundation supports their wider vision focusing on student identity, particularly the development of FrancoManitoban heritage.“It’s one of our main visions—we want to broaden this and make sure they understand where they’re from, that we’re in a minority setting, but they’re still Franco-Manitoban.” Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, DSFM has grown from humble beginnings. “We started with 12 or 14 schools, with 4,000 students. Now we’re at 24, 25 schools, and over 6,500 students,” Laberge notes. The significance of this expansion resonates deeply given the historical context: “Before 1970, French couldn’t have their own schools. We couldn’t teach French. It was in the constitution.” The division marked this milestone with a provincewide celebration.The festivities continue throughout the year with individual school celebrations and a traveling museum showcasing DSFM’s journey. “Each of our schools decided to celebrate the 30th anniversary within their own region, so we have 30 celebrations during the year.” NEW SCHOOLS AND FACILITIES With an annual operational budget of approximately $120 million, DSFM continues to grow its physical footprint across Manitoba. The division’s expansion strategy cater to demographic shifts and the increasing demand for Francophone education throughout the province. “The priority for the school board is a new school in Brandon,” Lesage explains. “We have just been granted the approval to begin architectural plans.” This push comes in response to significant community growth.“We know that the community in Brandon is growing expeditiously, and we’ve had a lot of parents showing an interest in Francophone schools. There are a lot of francophones there according to the STAT scan who are entitled to a French education.” While the Brandon project awaits approval, DSFM has a confirmed new facility opening in Winnipeg. The new Sage Creek school, set to open September 1st, already has significant enrollment figures. “145 as of now, expecting the new class of kindergarten. So, we’ll add another 20,” says Laberge.“We opened this school because 15 kilometers away from this one, we had a school which was full, and we couldn’t add a floor or expand, so the ministry allowed us to open this new school in Sage Creek, at a cost of $50 million.” SUMMER CAMPS AND CULTURAL PROGRAMS DSFM also offers cultural and recreational programs that strengthen Francophone identity and community connections throughout Manitoba.“The Francophone summer camps are all in French, and they’re quite 3 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04 DIVISION SCOLAIRE FRANCO-MANITOBAINE
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