Schuler School spent time learning about Truth and Reconciliation in the classroom and then came together outside to create a heart of support for Every Child Matters.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
Classes in each school division have been taking part in activities for National Day of Truth and Reconciliation throughout the week.
Some classes in the Medicine Hat Public School Division are using a free internet program available through the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The program was available starting this past Monday and ends today.
Darrell Willier, First Nations, Metis and Inuit Education Coordinator said, “there is much more benefit for all the students and the staff to do things that are associated with Orange Shirt Day and Truth and Reconciliation Day. We can provide information to them. My biggest fear is if we don’t have school on the 30th students and staff won’t do anything.”
Willier and his colleague Shirley Boomer, First Nations, Metis and Inuit support worker, will be visiting schools and giving presentations today.
Prairie Rose School Division has been participating throughout the week in traditional activities that focus on culture and traditions with members of the local Indigenous community. White Bear Creations visited Senator Gershaw, Bow Island Elementary, and Burdett School. In Bow Island they shared stories of Indigenous culture and created dream catchers with the students. In Burdett, First Nations culture and artifacts were shared with the students.
All Prairie Rose schools are closed today.
Schools in Prairie Rose were also closed on Thursday for a division-wide professional learning day that focused heavily on reconciliation. Cowboy Smithx, a Blackfoot filmmaker from the Piikani Nation and Kainai Nation in southern Alberta, was the keynote speaker. Smithx was co-producer on “Elder in the Making,” a documentary that explores history and invites all to connect with the rich and diverse aboriginal culture (http://elderinthemaking.com/).
In the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education, the morning has been set aside to focus on learning. In the afternoon, each student will participate in their first official ribbon tying ceremony. A plaque commemorating the day will be attached to the chain-link fence and each student will tie an orange ribbon onto the fence around the plaque.
Indigenous support worker Rod Willier will be visiting schools throughout the day and giving presentations. At 2:15 p.m., in honour of the 215 children found near Kamloops, BC, there will be a division-wide moment of silence.
