Jodi Tweed was recently recognized for the work she did in la Loche last year. She was a part of a group of counselors and teachers who gave their support after the school shooting that occurred January 22, 2016 which claimed the lives of Marie Janvier, Adam Wood, and brothers Dayne and Drayden Fontaine.

"After the school shooting in La Loche, on January 22 of last year, a call went out through the school divisions for counselors who would be willing to go up and support. So an email went out to numerous counselors in our division to ask if we would be willing to go and so I said that of course, I would be happy to go and support. So there was a group of us that went, I think there was 6 of us that went the first time."

She added that when she got the call, she didn't hesitate to answer it. 

"I guess it's part of my profession as a helper. When those kinds of things happen, I felt that it is important to provide that support. And I just knew that if it were our division, God forbid, that we would be needing that help. They did have some helpers and counselors but they were all of course, affected by the event." 

"We hope that we will never have to utilize those services in our division but I knew that if it were us, other people would come to help so I just felt that it was an important thing to do to show our support. I couldn't imagine how they were feeling or what they were dealing with, so if we could offer any bit of support to them, I felt that was a really important thing to do. That's just part of our profession and who we are in our job."

She explained that the team helped to support and coordinate counselling services for the community, for the school. There were also counselors there for the staff as well.

"The first time we were there for the week the students were returning to school. There had been many divisions, many school divisions sent staff and we traveled up with a team that had been there before, right immediately after it happened."

"So we just worked with different people from the community on a as needed basis. We worked in conjunction with the health region up there, the ministry, and then the counselors who had come up previously." 

"They sent up teams for several months after the shooting. And then had different support staff there on the weekends. So it was a province wide support and many different people went from different divisions to support."

"They also had teachers who went up to help cover off some of the staff. Some of the staff were injured, some of the staff were not back for a variety of different reasons so they also had teachers who came in to either team teach or to take over and they would come in teams as well."

"I thank our division for being so willing to send us because while we were gone, other people had to cover us. In order to send us up, the rest of the counselors here had to pick up in our absence."

She said that she was surprised whe she was given the award on Thursday.

"To be honest, I was shocked. We were sent a lovely card from the Northern Lights School Division with a key chain in the fall of 2016, thanking us for our service. And I thought that was incredible. Here, they suffered such a tremendous tragedy that's affected their community so deeply and they thought to send us a thank you card."

"So to get this, I was completely caught off guard, I didn't expect it and I'm incredibly honoured to have been a part of that team that went up to support."

"To be honoured in this way, I'm really humbled because I think that it was a tremendous opportunity and if we helped in any small way, I'm very grateful for that but I know that La Loche has much more healing to do. So to be recognized for our small contribution is a great honour."

She mentions that she was glad for the support she was able to give but knows that there is a lot more work to be done. 

"I know that the acting principal has been very vocal publicly saying that they feel that they have been abandoned and not supported to the full extent that they need. And I would agree with that. I think La Loche was a hurting community before this happened and this just amplified the issues that already existed. 

"I think it is hard to fill positions up there sometimes and I think their mental health, and their counselling services are every overwhelmed so this just added another layer of hurt to that community."

"I will always hold a special place for la Loche. I was there for a very short time but they are incredible people and they were so welcoming and we were treated incredibly well given all of the tragedy and trauma they were dealing with."

READ MORE: 17-Year-Old Charged After La Loche Shootings