Staff and students at John Paul II Collegiate, pictured here taking part in Orange Shirt Day activities at the high school Wednesday. (Submitted photos/Shalen Fox)

By Martin Martinson

Truth and Reconciliation Day

Local high school comes together to raise awareness for Orange Shirt Day

Sep 29, 2021 | 3:03 PM

Staff and students alike at John Paul II Collegiate (JPII) gathered together in honour of Orange Shirt Day Wednesday, at the high school.

A National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Orange Shirt Day serves as a day of remembrance for the victims of the residential school system in Canada.

In addition to wearing orange shirts, the local high school student body also took part in activities to raise awareness of the day, including posting orange crafted hearts to the fence outside the school, and leaving orange hand prints on the sidewalk and cement areas surrounding the high school.

Students get their hands painted to leave orange hand prints on the sidewalks and cement areas surrounding the school. (Submitted photo/Shalen Fox)

As an Indigenous teacher at JPII, Shalen Fox said it was something special to see the visual display surrounding the school take form as it all came together.

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“It was a powerful, powerful morning, just as our school were placing their hearts on the fence, and then putting orange hand prints on the sidewalk,” Fox said. “As it all came together, you could see just the impact it had through the visual representation.”

While the hearts and handprints were a new idea to signify the day through visual representation, JPII is no stranger to doing other crafts and activities for the day in years prior. Last year the school held an art contest to design a logo for the orange shirts.

Students tie their orange hearts onto the school fence. (Submitted photo/Shalen Fox)

“It was great just to see our whole school participate, with over 600 students and staff who were involved in it,” Fox said. “To see all of us come together, wearing our orange shirts and doing these activities, hopefully it could help bring some awareness to the day.”

The official Orange Shirt Day, Sept. 30, was recognized this year as a national statutory holiday, leading to the events this year taking place the day prior, on Sept. 29.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1