Orange Shirt Day
On September 30th, a majority of Chisholm’s population came to school dressed in orange shirts to acknowledge and open up the conversation about Indigenous peoples and their histories with residential schooling. In the morning, the entire school reviewed an informative presentation that detailed the experiences of residential schools and their impact on Indigenous communities in the past and present.
Members of the Equity Club then had the opportunity to participate in an Orange Shirt Day Conference where students and teachers continued their learning by listening to the stories of Indigenous peoples and the relationship with residential schools. As a group, we also discussed how these moments in the past impact the lives of individuals in the present day.
From these conversations, the Equity Club collaborated to find other ways we can share the experiences of Indigenous peoples throughout the school. Some of the students’ ideas included inviting an Indigenous elder to tell their story and finding ways for our school to learn about which Indigenous nations lived on the land we currently occupy. The history of Indigenous peoples in Canada have and continue to be reconciled to support the continual relationship we have with Indigenous nations and peoples. As one of the speakers at the conference noted, “Reconciliation matters, because we matter… we are still here, and will continue to be.” As Chisholm moves forward, the Equity Club hopes to diligently work towards a more equitable and inclusive school by continuing to lead in the momentum that began on Orange Shirt Day.
Thank you to all for being a part of the conversation,
Miss M. Louie, Mrs. M. Silvera and Ms. Y. Curic
Equity Club Teacher Facilitators