Friday, September 30th marked the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. This day honours the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Trinity College School students and staff, donning orange shirts and ribbons as part of the Orange Shirt Day initiative, were honoured to welcome our special guests, the Soney family, who travelled from Walpole Island First Nation to be with us and to speak with our community.
The family generously shared their culture, language, knowledge and beliefs with our community and helped us to further understand the tragic and generational impact that residential schools have had on their family and many other Indigenous families. A heartfelt thank you to the Soney family.
Leading up to Friday, students participated in presentations to help provide context and background to the day’s activities. As well, many teachers incorporated Truth and Reconciliation education into their classes in intentional ways throughout the week.
As part of The Canadian Library’s art installation project, books in the Senior School and Junior School libraries were covered in Indigenous fabric to create “micro galleries” that serve as a memorial to all Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Children. Read more about this endeavour.
At TCS, the teaching and learning about residential schools and Indigenous culture continues beyond the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, as our community works toward reconciliation in our curriculum, conversations and school programs. In the words of the Honourable Murray Sinclair, former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, “Education is what got us into this mess, and education will get us out.” To learn more about the history of residential schools and Truth and Reconciliation, visit www.nctr.ca.
