Christian Gammon-Roy
Tribune
Students and staff of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Elementary School gathered to display a giant orange heart in recognition of Truth and Reconciliation Day. On Wednesday, September 30, the students got together outside where a large heart, made up of multiple tied ribbons, will remain on display for people to see as they pass by. “Our Faith is teaching us to be kind, and to have an individual impact on other people in a positive way. The heart represents that everybody has the power to show kindness and care,” describes Stacey Malette, principal of the school. A prayer and a drumming were also performed during the unveiling, with the drummers performing the Humble Song, which tells people to raise each other up.
This ceremony is only one small part of OLS students’ ongoing efforts to promote Truth and Reconciliation all year long, and not just on September 30. “It’s definitely not an event, that’s what we often say. We don’t want kids to say that it’s just Orange Shirt Day. It’s not a checkmark off of a box, and going ‘ok, that’s done.’ It’s ongoing,” Malette explains. While she agrees that having the date marked on the calendar helps with bringing up some initial awareness, keeping people aware and involved is key. To that end, the school works hard to teach about the truth, and to work towards reconciliation in many different ways throughout the year.
