Kokum, grandson proud to graduate Grade 12 together in James Smith Cree Nation

Grade 12 student Sage Stonestand-Checkosis walks through the hall of his school with his kokum, or grandmother, Brenda "Connie" Stonestand.

But he's not giving her a tour — she's a fellow student.

Sage, 17, and Connie, 64, are graduating together this year from Bernard Constant Community School in James Smith Cree Nation, located approximately 200 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.

"It's like waking up and seeing a whole new world, all new opportunities," Connie said.

When she was younger, she endured bullying and violence in school. Connie said she and her sister were eventually forced to drop out to care for her ailing mother.

For more than a decade, Connie worked as a liaison officer and guidance counsellor at the school, which runs from pre-kindergarten to Grade 12. But she hasn't been in a classroom as a student for more than 40 years.

"I've seen a lot of students walking back and forth — how proud they were. And you know, I wish I could have had that feeling too. But I didn't have that chance," Connie said.

Last fall, the school started an adult education program, and Connie was the first person to enrol.

"I signed up because I really wanted to do this. This was a dream I had," she said.

When she decided she wanted to go back to school, her records couldn't be found, so the school didn't know which grade she had completed. Because of this gap, she had to take all of her Grade 12 classes from the beginning.

Connie made it a priority to attend every day from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. She said she would even go to the other adult education students' houses to pick them up.

School will open a lot of doors for them and help them look after their families, Connie said.

"I knock on a door and make sure they're coming because I want to make sure they come to school and they get their Grade 12, too," she said. "Because we're going to do it as a team."

It's been less than two years since 11 people were killed and 18 injured at James Smith and in nearby Weldon, Sask., in one of the worst mass stabbings in Canadian history. Connie said that no matter the obstacle — trauma, addictions, poverty — education is the key to healing and a better life.