Yellowknife students remember residential school legacy on Orange Shirt Day
Staff and students at Yellowknife's Weledeh Catholic School roamed the halls Friday, proudly decked out in orange as they honoured former residential school students on the fourth-annual Orange Shirt Day.
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Students from Grade 4 to 7 were taught about the history and significance of the event, said vice principal Jenny Reid, adding that the students were very interested in learning about the history of residential schools.
The students made pins and wore them during the school's afternoon assembly. They also made posters with hands traced on them, reading 'every child matters.'
Denecho, one of the students that took part in the day's events, said the experience was an eye-opener.
"It's important," he said, "because for all the people that went to residential school, and so we could talk about what happened to them."
Day reflects the story of survivors
Orange Shirt Day began on Sept. 30, 2013.
The annual day is a symbol that reflects the story of generations of residential school survivors. It started after Phyllis Webstad shared her story as a six-year-old attending St. Joseph's Residential School in Williams Lake, B.C.
Her grandmother bought her a new outfit — including an orange shirt — which she wore on the first day of school. However, school officials took her clothes away and gave her a school uniform. Her new orange shirt was never returned.
Webstad has said that since then, the color orange represents a painful reminder of how she felt — that nobody cared for her and other residential school students like herself.
Sept. 30 was chosen to reflect the time of year children were taken to residential schools, but also used as an opportunity to talk about anti-racism and anti-bullying policies, as well as discuss and reflect on the legacy of residential schools in Canada.
This is the first time Weledeh has participated, but Reid said it won't be the last.
"We'll continue to do just as much if not more for next year to celebrate and recognize this day."
