Orange Shirt Day goes virtual
Educators get ‘creative’ with ways to raise students’ awareness
Local schools and Niagara College had to scale back Orange Shirt Day this year due to the pandemic, but students and educators across the region were doing what they could Wednesday to send a message that every child matters.
Orange Shirt Day started in 2013 in an effort to raise awareness about Canada’s residential schools.
Niagara College encouraged staff and students to wear orange while working from home or if on campus, and to participate in a free virtual event that tied together resources and activities happening on campus and throughout Canada related to the day.
“This year is unique being virtual. We can access really great resources at the national level. It’s also barrier-free,” said Ashley Buck, Indigenous student success leader and member of the Onondaga Nation.
“We really want to have that global impact. We want to reach the whole Niagara College community and impact all students,” she said in an article on the college’s Inside NC website.
Educational videos were shared online along with connections to national events, including with Phyllis Webstad, the Indigenous woman who inspired Orange Shirt Day.
Its origins come from Webstad’s experiences as a child at a residential school near Williams Lake, B.C.
She entered St. Joseph Missi
on Residential School in 1973 when she was six years old. She wore a new orange shirt on her first day, but it was confiscated and replaced with a school uniform.
Sept. 30 was chosen as Orange Shirt Day because that was the date when children would be taken from their communities to residential schools, which have a dark history of mental, sexual and physical abuse, and deprivation.
The last residential school in Canada closed in 1996.
At District School Board of Niagara sites, students were wearing orange shirts, as were those who have opted to learn from home, said spokesperson Carolyn Loconte.
Schools are not able to hold any assemblies this year, but are “getting creative,” she said, adding schools and families had been making sure to share what they’re doing to support Orange Shirt Day on social media.
“Teachers are continuing to create learning opportunities to help students understand the importance of Orange Shirt Day by sharing stories of residential school survivors.”
At Welland Centennial Secondary School, a Grade 9/10 drama class created tableau performances based on their discussions about the history and impact of residential schools, said Loconte.
Brian Kon, Indigenous lead for Niagara Catholic District School Board, spent 45 min
utes Wednesday speaking with a kindergarten class about Indigenous issues.
Since the summer, he has been preparing resources for Niagara Catholic teachers to share with their classes on Orange Shirt Day.
“We’ve enhanced our online presence in terms of how we interact with students in the classroom,” he said.
Webstad, the founder of the day, has also followed Niagara Catholic’s efforts and has reached out about getting involved, said Kon.
“We’re looking forward to bringing Phyllis to Niagara in the very near future,” Kon said.