Photo provided by the Keewatin Patricia District School Board
The Grade 7/8 class at Lillian Berg School has been recognized by the First Nations Child And Family Caring Society of Canada with the Spirt Bear Award.
Four groups of youth across Canada, including the Vermilion Bay class, were honoured for demonstrating reconciliation in action to ensure First Nations, Metis, and Inuit young people have the same opportunities as all other children.
“It feels amazing, so great to hear how proud the students are and when I got to share it with them and to share the letters of support that one of our Super Intendants and a colleague of mine wrote in support of the nomination,” said Teacher Shannon Elliot. “Students feel a lot of pride for all the hard work they did and to be recognized for that.”
Elliot continues: “I think it’s very important that they know the true history, so history doesn’t repeat itself and they can make change in their communities so they speak up when they see racist actions or un-truth. I think that’s important for them to be good members of society, to know that there’s so many different world views and perspectives and to have empathy towards all cultures, that makes them well rounded individuals.”
From helping to maintain the McIntosh Indian Residential School Memorial Site, to completing a 30 kilometre Walk for Wenjack, those are just some of the classes efforts that earned them the award.
“Getting to go out to McIntosh and getting to see it, we were the ones to realize it needed to be cleaned up, the grass needed to be cleaned up, granite needed fixed and litter picked up. It was just not okay for it to be disrespect like that,” explained Grade 8 Student Kaylan Campbell. “We’ve worked so hard for this and we’ve done so much to push for reconciliation and try to get people to recognize the things that went on in residential schools. It just feels really amazing because there was so many other nominees.”
Student’s first visit to the site in 2019/CKDR Files
Along with the recognition the class receives five hundred dollars, half of which will be put towards future grounds up-keep at McIntosh and the other will be used for something fun at the school.
Elliot adds they hope to make the clean up, walk an annual event with plans for an Orange Shirt Day Ceremony at McIntosh in the works.
“Former McIntosh Residential School students have been reaching out to us and sharing with us how thankful they are that students have taken this project on and that they want to join us in our walk for Wenjack. Were planning other projects out at McIntosh and hopefully were going to work in collaboration with the Indian Residential department of grand council treaty three.”
Donations are welcome for the classes’ McIntosh Upkeep Fund and to donate you can contact Lillian Berg School at 227-2152 or email shannon.elliott@kpdsb.on.ca.
