Two students from Lakeview Elementary had their designs chosen for district-wide t-shirts honouring Reconciliation. The designs were revealed during Truth and Reconciliation Week in advance of Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Grade 5 student Paige from the Tal-o-qui-aht Nation, and Grade 7 student Alyssa from the Nisga鈥檃 Nation created the selected designs. The invitation went out to students from the District鈥檚 Indigenous Education team in the last school year. A group from the team came together, reviewed the submissions and were so captivated by Paige鈥檚 and Alyssa鈥檚 designs that they chose two.
Rob Smyth, District Principal, Indigenous Education:
Not only are the designs incredible and thoughtful. The words of the students and their intention really moved us. Each student was so powerful in sharing how the whole community works together in Reconciliation to move forward in creating a better future.鈥
The artists鈥 words describing the meaning behind their designs are printed on the back of each t-shirt.
Paige:
The Bee represents people 鈥渂eeing鈥 willing to be honest. The Bear symbolizes the people affected, showing them to be strong and take care of their families and mental health. The Footprints contain the words 鈥榝amily,鈥 鈥榟ealth,鈥 and 鈥榮trength鈥 which reminds us of the importance of the bear [for] Indigenous Peoples.聽
The Bear is working with the Bee to find the honey, which shows how positive community and relationships can happen, just like I hope for in the future for Indigenous Peoples in Canada.鈥
Alyssa:
The matriarch in my design represents the families and the mothers in our community. Embracing the child shows the hurt, but also the love and care in our community that will help us move forward. The Nisga鈥檃 name that was gifted to me, Nits鈥檌its鈥 Lax Yee, it means grandmother, and I see myself in the design. Strength from my ancestors and hope for the future. 鈥極ne heart, one path, one nation.鈥 鈥
Indigenous Learning Inquiry Teacher Patricia Buchanan worked with the students and their families to bring this meaningful work forward to the school community and beyond. The students, themselves, were honoured and celebrated at a school assembly for National Truth and Reconciliation Day.
A limited t-shirt production run was shared during Truth and Reconciliation Week. The shirts will be offered district-wide during National Indigenous History Month in June.
The Burnaby School District is honoured to be doing this work on the unceded and ancestral lands of the h蓹n虛q虛蓹min虛蓹m虛 and skwx瘫w煤7mesh speaking people. We acknowledge the stewardship of these lands by the 虫史尘蓹胃办史蓹测虚蓹尘,听S岣祑x瘫w煤7mesh, and聽s蓹虛l铆lw蓹ta蕯涩 Nations.
Posted September 2023