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Tribute to well-loved Shuswap teacher enables outdoor learning

Family, co-workers raise funds for Shannon Sharp Learning Circle
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Sharon Langlois (left) accepts a donation for the Shannon Sharp Learning Circle from the Sharp family - from left, Jennifer, Troy and Jared. (Photo contributed)

A tribute to a well-loved North Okanagan-Shuswap School District teacher will provide students at Salmon Arm West Elementary a place to learn and express themselves under the peaks of the Shuswap mountains she loved so much.

Shannon Sharp, a teacher who spent more than 30 years in School District 83, died due to cancer on Jan. 8 at 56 years old. To honour her memory and carry forward her passion for the outdoors and education, her co-workers and family are raising funds to install the Shannon Sharp Learning Circle.

Shannon had a vision to enable outdoor learning at Salmon Arm West, a vision that was shared by fellow teacher Sharon Langlois, who has been spearheading this tribute.

“When she came here, we were talking about making a little place behind the school where we could hang tarps and use bales of hay for benches, it was nothing to the scale of what this will be… but I think she would be thrilled,” Langlois says.

Related: Column: Why outdoor learning?

Shannon’s husband, Troy, and children, Jared and Jennifer, were surprised to hear of the memorial project, and feel deeply honoured by the tribute.

“It means a great deal to us, we want to jump on board right now and help make this a reality. We are going to be with it the whole way until this goal is met, until this thing is finished. We are committed to this and it means a lot to us,” Troy says.

Both of Shannon’s children have become teachers themselves; Jennifer currently teaches in the district and Jared has plans to do the same. They fondly remember their mother’s passion for education, and the lasting impact she made on her students.

“Growing up, all of my friends said she was their favourite teacher. I used to think they were just saying it to be nice, but as I got older I saw just how much people loved her,” Jared says.

Shannon taught for many years at Bastion Elementary, before making the move to Salmon Arm West four years ago. She immediately received a warm welcome, gaining the affectionate nickname Auntie Sharp.

Related: Jared Sharp and Paige Coutlee off to Indigenous Games

“I think that just goes to show the relationships she had; it wasn’t just teaching them, it was being their family as well,” Langlois says. “I think they felt that, they felt her love and her concern and her caring. The parents felt that too. Just the respect, the love people held for her was obvious in every way.”

For her daughter, Jennifer, Shannon’s memory will always shine bright like a beacon.

“She just shone, she was like a shining light. When she walked into a room she stuck out, she was one of those people who you would look at and just smile,” she says.

The learning circle is meant to reflect Shannon’s love of the outdoors, and her dream of providing an outdoor space where students and teachers can gather to share knowledge, stories and meals together. It is also meant to symbolize Shannon’s connection with her Metis and Secwepemc heritage, and the design of the structure will reflect Indigenous traditions. Four posts will mark the four directions and the four mountains surrounding the Shuswap: Larch Hills, Mount Ida, Fly Hills and Bastion Mountain.

“I think more than anything she had an appreciation of the beauty of the world. Her favourite song is this song called ‘Wonderland,” Langlois says.

“That kind of sums it up in a lot of ways, just really appreciating the beauty of things, the quiet beauty of things,” Jennifer adds.

“She liked to go to the edge of the cliff on Bastion up there, as high as she could get on a mountain and just see, just look out over where we live,” Troy says.

The structure will be round, reflecting key learning concepts and cycles of nature such as life cycles of plants and animals, and the hope is to construct the four cardinal posts out of round logs sourced from the Shuswap. A quote has been received for a pre-built structure, but they hope to bring costs down with volunteer support in the building process.

Related: Spirits are high at Salmon Arm’s outdoor school

Langlois is spearheading the fundraising efforts behind the learning circle project. Local organizations and volunteers have already been stepping up to offer their help, including a $1,000 contribution from the Salmon Arm Metis Society in Shannon’s name.

In the coming months, there are plans in the works to host fundraising events such as dances or other community gatherings. For now, there is a GoFundMe page set up for the project, which can be found by visiting www.gofundme.com and searching for the Shannon Sharp Learning Circle. Anyone interested in contributing can also make a donation at Salmon Arm West Elementary.


@Jodi_Brak117
jodi.brak@saobserver.net

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(From left) Sharon Langlois, Troy Sharp, Jennifer Sharp, Joan and Morris Wright (Shannon’s parents) and Jared Sharp, near the site where the Shannon Sharp Learning Circle will be built. (Jodi Brak/Salmon Arm Observer)
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Shannon Sharp. (Image contributed)
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Shannon Sharp. (Image contributed)
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