GNS Acknowledges the Need for Truth and Reconciliation

On Wednesday, September 25, the Middle and Senior Schools honoured the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with an Orange Shirt Day at GNS. Students were encouraged to wear orange shirts or accessories in acknowledgement of unfair treatment of Indigenous peoples, and of the devastating aftermath of the residential school system in Canada. 

Nearly 150,000 Indigenous children were forcefully taken from their homes and communities and sent to residential schools in the 1830s, where they were assimilated into the Canadian ‘white’ culture by the government and the Christian church. Many did not survive, and the rest suffered lifelong mental health issues. The system of residential schools had a widespread impact on generations of Indigenous communities including higher cases of suicide attempts, lack of parenting skills and an increase in domestic abuse within families, trauma, self-abuse and overall, a lower standard of living due to the lack of basic reading and writing skills—despite having attended a “school.” 

Nearly 50 years later, in June 2021, the Government of Canada decided to designate September 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day to honour the “survivors, their families and communities, and to ensure public commemoration of the history of residential schools.” (Government of British Columbia). 

To show our support, Zoë Carroll ’25, our GNS Advocacy prefect, delivered an informative and passionate presentation during our Senior School assembly on the detrimental impacts of the residential school system and what we can do to help. 

“If we don’t understand the history behind the residential school system,we cannot support survivors of the system and understand the systemic changes necessary to right historical wrongs.” said Zoë Carroll ’`25. “ It’s called Truth and Reconciliation, and we cannot do either if we don’t start with the truth. I think it’s especially important to understand this history because we often think of institutions like residential schools as the far past, when they aren’t. I know people my parents’ age that are survivors. Also, when we don’t study history, it is bound to happen again, and we can never let something like residential schools happen again.” 

“I would encourage people to be mindful on Monday instead of taking it as a day off,” she added. “Spend some time doing research, consider your family’s history and how it may have impacted Indigenous populations, and spread the word. Also, attend events—there are many great Orange Shirt Day events over the weekend, including the South Island Powwow on Monday, which is great. If you are busy on Monday, at least wear orange. And most importantly, work towards truth and reconciliation all year. There are some great resources on more that we can all do on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s website and on news sites.”

Ms. Elbert, our Senior School Teacher-Librarian, and Ms. Drury, our Libray Technician, also helped decorate the blackboard outside the Learning Commons to raise awareness. The board displayed the 94 Calls to Action by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, infographics on Indigenous peoples’ facts, and Indigenous podcasts and literature, such as Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Never Whistle at Night by Shane Hawk and Theodore Van Alst Jr. and Truth Telling by Michelle Good. 

How can you help? There are a few community events happening on Monday that you can be a part of: in Oak Bay, ReconciliACTION is hosting a community ceremony at 9:30 a.m. in front of the Sno’uyutth Welcome Pole at Oak Bay High School. In Victoria, the South Island Powwow, organized by the Songhees Nation, will be taking place at noon at the Royal Athletic Park and in Sidney, there will be a Storywalk organized by the Sidney/North Saanich Branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library.