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School District No. 43 (Coquitlam)
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First National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

October 07, 2021

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September 30 marked Orange Shirt Day and the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Over the course of the week, SD43 commemorated and honoured those who were lost, the survivors, and the families and communities who continue to grieve, as a result of the residential school system in Canada.

Although SD43 schools were not in session, the whole SD43 community was encouraged to engage in education and conversations and to recognize this historic tragedy and the ongoing trauma as an important step towards reconciliation.

Below are some examples of how students and staff commemorated and recognized this day at school:
  • Baker Drive Elementary School students coloured paper feathers and displayed them at the front of the school.
  • Continuing Education Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada students reflected and shared messages of allyship and support on social media.
  • ​Eagle Mountain Middle School decorated paper feathers and posted these decorations at the front of the school. A class also researched Burrard Inlet and the resources it provided to Indigenous communities prior to the arrival of European settlers.
  • Port Moody Secondary School students decorated mini orange shirts and posted them all around the front of the school. In the Spanish 10/11 class, students were also asked to reflect and respond to how they felt about reconciliation and wrote this down on orange shirts.
  • Riverside Secondary School students watched an Indigenous video and participated in a cedar craft project.
  • 700 members at Maple Creek Middle School silently walked and circled the sports field with the Coast Salish Anthem playing in the background. They were also invited to spend some time with family watching a video on the Origin of Orange Shirt Day and the impact of residential schools.
  • The Indigenous Department shared “The Survivor's Flag" which was highlighted in ceremonies in Ottawa as an expression of remembrance, honouring of residential school survivors and all the lives and communities impacted by the residential school system in Canada. Learn more about the Survivor's Flag here. 
  • ​Flags at all schools and district facilities were at half-mast from the morning of Monday, September 27th to the evening of Friday, October 1st in recognition of Truth and Reconciliation Day and as a show of support for victims and survivors of Canada's residential school system.
  • Roy Stibbs Elementary School displayed several books about residential schools in their learning commons. 
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School District No. 43 (Coquitlam)

1080 Winslow Avenue, Coquitlam BC
V3J 0M6
604-939-9201 604-939-7828