Southwest Horizon School Division

"Southwest Horizon School Division would like to acknowledge and recognize that we are operating on the original territory of the Anishinaabe and Dakota Nations, Treaty 1 and Treaty 2, and the homeland of the Metis Nation"

Welcome to Southwest Horizon School Division

We are pleased to announce that Jean-Sebastian Pambrun of Souris School is this year’s recipient of the Mark Dickof Memorial Scholarship Award. Established eight years ago to recognize exemplary leadership, advocacy and destigmatization efforts in mental health, the scholarship is exclusively given to two students each year: one from a rural or northern school division, and one from Winnipeg.

When he was sixteen years of age, J-S Pambrun lost his best friend to suicide—a tragedy that touched him very deeply. For him, the experience taught valuable lessons about how our society treats mental health, especially among young people. The grief J-S experienced, ignited a spark: he made a promise to himself that he himself would not only survive, but never give up—for his friend, for himself, and for others. J-S now uses his voice to address mental health with emphasis on the importance of destigmatizing neurodiversity.

In school and community settings, J-S has actively participated in mental health awareness events such as the annual Mental Wellness Day and Westman Wellness Walk. He has helped create spaces where students can speak without fear of judgment, mentoring peers who feel alone in their struggles, showing them that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness.

For J-S, “mental health advocacy isn’t always loud or grand—it’s often in the quiet acts of compassion, the honest conversations, and the courage to keep going.” It was observed by his reference for the scholarship that the Souris School is a better place because J-S is a part of it! We truly wish him the very best in his future journey of leadership and advocacy for mental wellness and health.

Indigenous Grad 2025