Students at an Ajax Catholic high school are marking the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with a display of Orange Shirt designs and personal reflections in the school's main foyer.
The display at Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School was unveiled September 29, according to the Durham Catholic District School Board, ahead of the annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30.
In the days leading up to the national day, every homeroom class at the school was given the opportunity to learn about and discuss the experiences and history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, the board said. Students then translated those conversations into creative designs on orange paper shirts, paired with written reflections.
The orange shirts reference the Orange Shirt movement, which commemorates the experiences of Indigenous children sent to residential schools in Canada.
The student work will remain on display in the main foyer, which the board described as a reminder of the importance of learning from the past, honouring Survivors and their families, and continuing the journey toward truth, understanding and reconciliation.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation has been observed in Canada since 2021 as a day to honour Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities, and the children who never returned home.
Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School is one of the Durham Catholic District School Board's secondary schools serving the Ajax community. The board said the project gave students a chance to engage in what it called meaningful conversations about Indigenous experiences and history in Canada.
Along with the classroom learning and foyer display, the reflections were created as a way for each student to express their own understanding of truth and reconciliation, according to the board's account of the project.
