Blackfoot Olympian Apollo Hess presents to Siksika students

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Apollo Hess, a member of the Kainai Nation who participated at the 2024 Paris Olympics, spoke to the students and community at Siksika Nation High School, Aug. 30. 

Hess was joined by Steve Mesler, also an Olympian, who facilitated the session. The session made for an opportunity to share stories of the Olympics, and how Hess got there with local students. 

“We were very excited for our students to get this opportunity to meet Apollo Hess, who is a part of the Blackfoot Confederacy and just being able to be in the presence of an Olympian,” said Lisa Calf Robe, principal of Siksika Nation High School. “On the agenda we received, it explained how Hess was going to talk about his childhood and being from the Kainai Nation, and the ties and connections that he has with a lot of our Siksika students, most especially the athletes, and he encouraged them to continue in their athletics.”

Calf Robe added, once the announcement of Hess’ presentation was made to the students, a survey was conducted to determine how much of the student body was already aware of who he is. 

A majority of students had reported having watched Hess during the Olympics alongside their families. 

“(The students) sat and they listened, and they were just so engulfed in what he had to share with us – I think more so because they really related to him and they just loved to hear his experiences about what he went through and endured,” said Calf Robe. “It was really awesome to see our students so happy and just taking in this exciting event in their school.”

Tyler White, CEO of Siksika Health, explained he believes their organization to be well connected amongst sporting industries, often with athletes and organizations reaching out to Siksika Health in order to collaborate.

He explained one of the goals of setting up the session at the school was to empower youth on the Nation and showcase what is possible for them.

“I think his message to the youth, as he shared his experiences, I think all of the challenges that he had personally and professionally, but I think for him, he never gave up. He was always pushing forward through the darkest moments, through the highs and the lows, and I think that was a great message for the youth to hear that anything is possible,” said White. “He encouraged the youth to keep moving forward whether it is in sports, arts, culture, whatever that may mean for them, I think he was very positive, and I think his message of empowerment and resilience was well taken by the students.”

White and Calf Robe both expressed that a similar event is one they would be excited to see set up in the future for the benefit of the students.