Selwyn House honours Truth and Reconciliation Week

From September 27 to October 1, 2021, students, teachers and staff at Selwyn House mobilized to honour Truth and Reconciliation Week and Orange Shirt Day.

 

As part of the school’s ongoing Indigenization Process, a wide array of meaningful activities was offered to students, teachers and staff to promote Indigenous history and culture through the following themes: Contemporary Indigenous Identities and Experience; Indigenous Histories and Colonization; Song, Dance, and Ceremony; and The Natural World. 

 

All three schools attended assemblies in Coristine Hall during which celebrated pow wow performers Owen Mayo (Kanien’kehá:ka) and Kwena Bellemare-Boivin (Atikamekw) shared traditional Indigenous songs and dances. Gabriel Whiteduck, cultural educator, and Wáhiakatste (Wahi) Diome-Deer, educational consultant, facilitated the performances.

 

Many students engaged in reflective activities in class with their teachers, while others attended group workshops where Mr. Whiteduck and Ms. Diome-Deer provided a safe space to share information, ask questions and have an open discussion. 

 

The week culminated with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. Across the school, orange was worn in remembrance of the children who were victims of the residential school system in Canada and in honour of the families and the children who survived.

Here are some thoughts from our teachers and students about what Orange Shirt Day meant to them:

 

‘‘Remember that every child matters and never forget the ones that were lost in residential schools.’’

 

« Respecter et honorer la culture ainsi que les traditions des Autochtones.  »

 

 

‘‘To me, Truth and Reconciliation means better understanding our past so as to give the respect today that was brutally denied then.’’

 

« Pour moi, c’est un engagement à mieux connaître les différentes cultures autochtones et à partager leur immense richesse. »