Gathered for the 50th anniversary celebration of Our Lady of Sorrows school were (left to right) Anita Bourgeois, representative for MPP John Vanthof; West Nipissing mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon; Gimaa Cathy Stevens of Nipissing First Nation; school principal Stacey Malette; former principal Nancy Allaire; Bishop Thomas Dowd of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie; Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board chair Shawn Fitzsimmons; federal MP Jim Bélanger; Father Tensingh of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish; Board Chaplain Father Joseph de Viveiros. 
Our Lady of Sorrows school’s Grade 6/7 drummers, under the guidance of Knowledge Keeper George Couchie, perform during their school’s 50th anniversary celebration. 
Students were at the centre of the opening ceremonies for the 50th anniversary of Our Lady of Sorrows school, held May 15. The students did a land acknowledgement and sang O Canada in Anishinaabemowin, English, French and American Sign Language.
Suzanne Gammon
Tribune
Students, staff, alumni and dignitaries gathered at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Elementary school on May 15 to celebrate the local school’s 50th anniversary. The Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic (NPSC) District School Board titled the event “50 years of faith, learning and community,” saying the milestone brought together past and present students and staff, Board members and community partners “reflecting the strong relationships that have supported the school for five decades.”
The day began with a land acknowledgement and cultural celebrations honouring the diverse influences that have shaped the school community, notably its tricultural nature. In a nod to this, a student-led rendition of O Canada was sung in Anishinaabemowin, English, French and American Sign Language.
Students were indeed the stars of the opening ceremonies, with performances by Grade 6/7 drummers under the guidance of Knowledge Keeper George Couchie; an Honour Song performed by Indigenous Graduation Coach Jordan Mowat; and a land acknowledgement by the school’s youngest learners.
A mass of Thanksgiving followed, presided by the Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste-Marie, Mgr Thomas Dowd, assisted by NPSC Board chaplain Joseph de Viveiros and Father Amaladhas Tensingh Alexander of OLS Church in Sturgeon Falls. Students took part in the liturgy, “centred on gratitude, compassion and the values embodied by the school’s namesake, Our Lady of Sorrows,” describes a Board release.
