Many students at North Hastings High School (NHHS) will be wearing orange on Friday, as the school recognizes The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The orange shirts support the Every Child Matters movement and are to honour Indigenous children who were taken to, and in many cases died at, residential schools.
The day will include a school-wide assembly where students will learn how they can support reconciliation and an evening screening of the film Bones of Crows.
NHHS’s Heather Taylor, who teaches many Indigenous-themed courses, says the school’s recognizing of Reconciliation Day fits with its overall effort to acknowledge Indigenous students and culture more than ever before. For example, the school now has a Grade 11 English course that focuses on Indigenous literature.
“It’s vital to teach the truths of colonialism, so we can move forward towards reconciliation as a country,” she says. “We cannot have reconciliation without truth. It’s also vital to teach about the innovation of Indigenous Peoples, their contributions to society and the vibrancy of culture and language.”
While schools are recognizing the day on Friday, Truth and Reconciliation Day is on Saturday, Sept. 30. Events will take place across the country.
