Student Life
Truth and Reconciliation Week
Alongside others in Canada, Shawnigan observed Truth and Reconciliation Week, a five-day national event to continue the conversations from Every Child Matters. The week culminated with the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Thursday, September 30, a day which has also been known as Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots movement started by Phyllis Webstad.
Like many Canadians, we at Shawnigan are emerging in our journey, and we entered this week humbly. Our School is committed to learning about the legacy of residential schools in Canada, and we seek to honour and celebrate Indigenous cultures in our community.
Guided by student leaders and our Indigenous Advisory Committee, it was a week of listening, learning, reflecting, and honouring. Shawnigan students and staff were invited to participate in a variety of ways throughout the week, with initiatives including: wearing orange shirts; joining the Every Child Matters March in Duncan on Thursday morning; lining the hallways of the Main Building with shoes – to honour all of the children who lost their lives as a result of Canada’s residential school policies – and with the 94 Calls to Action published in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Final Report; hearing from Dr. Brad Baker, an insightful speaker and educator; participating in a commemoration ceremony in the Kaye Gardens; joining workshops to honour residential school survivors and to recognize our ongoing commitment to reconciliation; engaging in the classroom with the legacy of residential schools and discussions surrounding Truth and Reconciliation; and spending time in reflection and contemplation in Houses as a community and as individuals.
This is but another step in our journey as we continue to learn and unlearn.
The Shawnigan Lake School Library has collected a number of resources on residential schools and Indigenous ways to support the learning, exploration, and inclusion of Indigenous values in our School. Shawnigan community members are welcome to refer to any of these resources, or offer ones not available yet on this resource board, for the enrichment of our community. We would recommend – should you wish to learn more – any of these helpful resources for awareness and discussion.
Shawnigan Lake School is adhering to all COVID-19 guidelines released by the BC Ministries of Health and Education.
Back
Guided by student leaders and our Indigenous Advisory Committee, it was a week of listening, learning, reflecting, and honouring. Shawnigan students and staff were invited to participate in a variety of ways throughout the week, with initiatives including: wearing orange shirts; joining the Every Child Matters March in Duncan on Thursday morning; lining the hallways of the Main Building with shoes – to honour all of the children who lost their lives as a result of Canada’s residential school policies – and with the 94 Calls to Action published in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Final Report; hearing from Dr. Brad Baker, an insightful speaker and educator; participating in a commemoration ceremony in the Kaye Gardens; joining workshops to honour residential school survivors and to recognize our ongoing commitment to reconciliation; engaging in the classroom with the legacy of residential schools and discussions surrounding Truth and Reconciliation; and spending time in reflection and contemplation in Houses as a community and as individuals.
This is but another step in our journey as we continue to learn and unlearn.
The Shawnigan Lake School Library has collected a number of resources on residential schools and Indigenous ways to support the learning, exploration, and inclusion of Indigenous values in our School. Shawnigan community members are welcome to refer to any of these resources, or offer ones not available yet on this resource board, for the enrichment of our community. We would recommend – should you wish to learn more – any of these helpful resources for awareness and discussion.
Shawnigan Lake School is adhering to all COVID-19 guidelines released by the BC Ministries of Health and Education.
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
