This National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Conseil scolaire catholique Providence schools raised students’ awareness of truth and reconciliation through a variety of learning and reflection activities.
School board officials say September 30 is a significant opportunity for all students and staff to learn more about the tragic history of those who attended residential schools and to reflect on their experience, while paying tribute to the lives lost in a journey of truth and reconciliation.
The Conseil scolaire catholique Providence’s Équité, Diversité et Inclusivité (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) team offered many educational resources at both the elementary and secondary levels.
Additionally, the team encouraged classes to participate in one or more educational activities being organized by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, providing opportunities to specifically discuss the Every Child Matters Orange Shirt Day.
School board officials said this significant learning experience is an opportunity to learn directly from residential school survivors, elders, knowledge keepers, artists, and leaders from all over the country.
The whole school community was set to wear an orange shirt, and the orange Every Child Matters flag was set to be raised in the school.
The younger students were set to make orange shirt-related artwork, whereas the older students were set to engage in a discussion about the Honourable Murray Sinclair’s speech.
“We invite everyone in the community to reflect upon their own role in reconciliation with Indigenous peoples by staying informed about Indigenous history and cultures, the consequences of systemic discrimination and the residential school system, as well as about the repercussions of colonial systems still being felt by children, families, and Métis, Inuit and First Nations communities in Canada,” school board officials said in a media release.
“Providence is a leader in education and is committed to offering learning and work environments which encourage the well-being and inclusion of all people, where students and staff can feel welcome, accepted and respected, regardless of their personal characteristics.”
The Conseil scolaire catholique Providence serves an area of more than 28 ,819 km2 which stretches from Windsor to Woodstock and includes the Grey-Bruce and Huron-Perth regions.
Their network of French-language Catholic schools provides quality education to nearly 10,000 students in 24 elementary schools and nine secondary schools.
