New principal at Kateri School

About 25 years ago, when Melissa Lasante was finishing up her bachelor’s degree at McGill University, she took on an internship in Shelley Goodleaf-McComber’s fourth grade class at Kateri School.

Little did she know that taking one opportunity after another in Kahnawake education - first at Step By Step, then Kahnawake Survival School, and finally back at Kateri as a resource teacher - would eventually see her at the helm of the school where it all began.

“Something just drew me back to Kateri School because I was here all those years ago, and when the opportunity presented itself, I just really felt compelled to come back over here and very quickly found my niche,” Lasante said.

The Kahnawake Education Center (KEC) announced this week that Lasante had been selected to replace Kevin Gault following his resignation from the post as the principal of the school, where she began the year as the new associate principal.

“I just feel very comfortable here, and I’m really excited about where my journey has taken me, and I’m excited to see what the future brings as well for all of the students, the families, and the staff,” Lasante said.

It’s emblematic of the approach she has strived to bring to education, making sure to prioritize family relationships so that students can be as supported as possible.

“I really want to respect that families are their child’s first teachers, and we want to walk this path alongside them, and support them in whatever way possible to pave the way for their children and our students to become successful as they grow into adults,” she said.

She also expressed the significance of teaching children not just the kinds of lessons you find in the usual textbooks, but knowledge about themselves.

“I want to emphasize the importance of cultural connection and really making sure that the learning is connected to who they are as individuals and connected to community, recognizing that that’s really an important part of who the children are here.”

While the beginning of the year didn’t go as planned, with Gault’s departure shaking things up at Kateri School, KEC director of education Falen Iakowennaiéwas Jacobs said things have gone smoothly to date.

“She started off in a role that she was new to, took that role very seriously, jumped right in head first, and I’d say was just very adaptable with not having a principal to start the year. That didn’t deter her,” said Jacobs, who also pitched in to get the term up and running. “She kept her focus on moving forward and she really stepped up.”

While Jacobs was not on the hiring committee that selected Lasante, she has long known and respected Lasante, having worked with her at Step By Step, and believes the committee made an excellent choice.

“Melissa is very driven. She’s very goal-oriented and very focused. She’s very compassionate and really takes everybody’s perspective into consideration when approaching the subjects or making decisions. She has amazing leadership skills, and I’m really excited to see how she’ll flourish in this capacity as principal,” Jacobs said.

“She’s very focused on building relationships, which is so important to leadership, especially leadership in education.”

It’s not just Lasante’s people skills that Jacobs highlighted, however. The education director said Lasante’s penchant for informed decision-making will make her a valuable contributor to KEC’s direction as the education centre seeks to harness the power of data to help steer the ship.

“We’re really moving towards a strong emphasis on using data to make decisions,” said Jacobs, citing student success data, attendance data, and data on participation and family engagement.

“I really feel like Melissa’s going to help continue with moving Kateri School and our focus on school improvement and school success moving on an upward trajectory,” Jacobs said.

Education and learning runs in Lasante’s family. Her son is a teacher at Karonhianónhnha Tsi Ionterihwaienstáhkhwa, another is at Step By Step, and another is a recent graduate of the Kanien’kéha Ratiwennahní:rats Adult Immersion Program.

“I feel a very strong connection to the community in many ways,” said Lasante, who has been married to a Kahnawa’kehró:non for 25 years.

“I’m really honoured to be in this position, and I’m really looking forward to continuing to establish and strengthen connections with our students and our staff and our families.”

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Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter