This morning during chapel, Liam, Yasmin, and Gavin presented on the history of Orange Shirt Day.

Since 2013, our community has been participating in Orange Shirt Day. Orange Shirt Day commemorates the victims of the residential school system that was implemented in Canada in the late 1800s, separating First Nations children from their families and communities. The last of the residential schools was only closed over a century later. This morning, our community heard Phyllis Webstad's story of her first day at residential school when her orange shirt was taken from her.
 

This year, the Government of Canada made a decision to create National Truth and Reconciliation Day an official federal statutory holiday. The holiday is meant to shine a light on the atrocities of the residential school systems and the hardships that First Nations communities still face today.
 

BCS is committed to continuing these types of global conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community all year round. Read more about National Truth and Reconciliation Day and the legacy of Orange Shirt Day on their website.