By Neil Corbett, Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows News
Kids in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows schooled donned orange shirts and sweaters for a day to stand with survivors of the residential school system.
Children learned about Phyllis Webstad and how her orange shirt was removed when she went to the Mission school as a six-year-old from the Dog Creek Reserve in 1973. They learned more about the pain and loss of freedom imposed on First Nations children in the residential school system.
Kirsten Urdahl-Serr, acting principal of Aboriginal education for the district, said there was a virtual presentation for more than 4,000 students and their teachers. It included a video of St. Mary’s School in Mission prepared by the teacher team. Jessica Knott, an Aboriginal resource teacher whose family has direct links to this school shared reflections of this history, and Amelia Laidlaw, also an Aboriginal resource Teacher, answering questions from the classrooms.