Through chapel presentations and classroom discussions, our community was further educated on the importance of today's new holiday.

During the past week, Mr. Key's Form V English Language Arts students have been reading Sherman Alexie's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian'. As a complement to the book, he also shared music and artwork from Indigenous artists with his class. Mr. Key stressed the importance of making Indigenous Peoples' voices heard and learning about the hardships they still face today.

Ms. Jones' Form IV English Language Arts class dived deeper into Phyllis’ story that was shared in chapel yesterday. The class also completed an activity on Thomas King's poem, "I’m not the Indian You Had in Mind”. "The poem helps us understand that stereotypes misrepresent the truth and are often incomplete; they place labels upon groups of people," explained Ms. Jones. "Being more aware of these labels will hopefully help students be more open-minded and empathetic with regards to their surroundings, the people, and the cultures they encounter."

Keep an eye out on our socials for photos of the posters that our students are working on to raise awareness about Truth and Reconciliation Day and Orange Shirt Day.