Grade 7/8 Students Walk For Wenjack October 2020/Rotary Meeting Screenshot
Students and staff at Lillian Berg School in Vermillion Bay are embarking on another Walk For Wenjack tomorrow (Thursday October 21).
Last year, the Grade 7/8’s made the 30 kilometre trek from the McIntosh Indian Residential School Memorial Site back to Lillian Berg.
Students will start at the McIntosh site once again but this year Teacher Shannon Elliot says the whole school is involved.
“We are doing it in different distances, so the Kindergartens to Grade 2s are walking two kilometres and the Grade 3’s to 8 can choose between 5 and 30 kilometres. We have some special incentives to get them to walk further kilometres, teachers have agreed to do some wacky challenges to encourage their students! Along the route, we’re going to have seven stations set up for water and snacks and check ins. We’re lucky to have some volunteers, community individuals and organizations, we have Dryden Native Friendship centre, Dryden OPP, Dryden Rotary, Dryden Area Anti Racism Network (DAARN), Machin Fire and Rescue, Points North Medical Clinic in Vermillion Bay and a few community members have also agreed to help out and have made donations.”
Elliot continues, “I think it’s important we teach students from K-8 at Lillian Berg School the history and impacts of residential school and to bring awareness to that. By doing this large event as well it brings awareness to the community and helps educate everyone.”
When it comes to the upkeeping of the McIntosh Memorial Site, Elliot says it’s an ongoing project.
“We are very happy to say that we receive donations from different organizations so that we can continue to provide some grass cutting a few times a year at McIntosh to help with when there’s a group of survivors that goes out there twice a year and there might even be a pow wow in the spring so we’re happy to provide some assistance that way. We know we are not the only group that helps out there, there’s lots of and that put a lot of time and effort into McIntosh and planning events there but we’re happy to help out.”
The school is also raising funds for the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund and you can support them here.
Secret Path Week takes place every year from October 17th to 22nd, which are the respective dates that Downie and Wenjack passed away.
Chanie Wenjack was a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy who died October 22, 1966 after escaping residential school and attempting to return home to his family 600 kilometres away.
