Mowat students were given sticky notes to write their answers to three questions about Truth and Reconciliation in September.


By Mikayla Haswell

Truth and Reconciliation Day or Orange Shirt Day is on September 30. On this day, we wear orange t-shirts to acknowledge the cultural genocide within Canada’s residential school system. We continue to learn more about what the Indigenous people endured at these schools as a result of Canada’s past policy towards First Nations people. Many children died there. 

Last year at Mowat, we had residential school survivor Karen Chaboyer, who is a mother, grandma, author and residential school survivor. She comes from Rainy River First Nation in northwestern Ontario, from an Ojibway community. She came and spoke to the students, teachers and parents of Sir Oliver Mowat about her experiences from the age of 6 to 15 during her time at the residential school she attended. Karen talked about her early adult life and the struggles with lack of self love, acceptance, social skills and alcoholism.

In March 2020, Karen published her book, “They Called Me… 33: Reclaiming Ingo-Waabigwan”. It’s about her struggles with addiction, unhealthy relationships with her family and partners, her time at the residential school, and the trauma she suffered as she grew up. Karen found the strength to find help that eventually allowed her to embrace her culture and identity. This has helped her to rebuild relationships with her children and others. 

This year at Mowat, we acknowledged the Truth and Reconciliation week from September 23 to 27. With educational opportunities offered every day about the history of First Nations, Inuit and Metis and the residential schools, students and staff got a better understanding of all the young lives that were lost.

On Wednesday, September 25, all students were shown a video of kids in the TDSB asking questions about the history of the commemorative day and residential schools in relation to former student Phyllis Webstad. The next day, teachers gave sticky notes to their students in first period class and asked them to take five to 10 minutes to answer these three questions:

  • What have you learned about Orange Shirt Day or Truth and Reconciliation Day? 
  • What message do you have for the next generation about Truth and Reconciliation? 
  • What would you like to say to Phyllis about more than a decade of Orange T-shirt Day? 

On September 30, we were encouraged to wear orange t-shirts because of Phyllis Webstad’s story. On her first day of residential school at Saint Joseph Mission, she was wearing a new orange t-shirt that her grandmother bought her. The shirt was taken away from her at the age of 6, and it was never given back. This is why we wear orange every September 30. There are 90,000 residential school survivors in Canada. Since last year, Mowat has been learning more about survivors’ experiences. Mowat encourages all staff, students and parents to do more research and share more stories so we can become better educated about this horrible chapter of Canadian history