“That we leave our homes, that we step through our doors to the world, that we travel our whole lives not because we want to collect exotic T-shirts, not because we want to consume foreign adventure the same Western way we consume plastic and Styrofoam and LCD TVs and iPads, but because it has the power to renew us—not the guarantee, not the promise, just the possibility. Because there are places our imaginations can never construct for us, and there are people who we will never meet but we could and we might. It reminds us that there is always reason to begin again.” - Stephen Markley, Tales of Iceland or "Running with the Huldufólk in the Permanent Daylight"
For me, Terry Fox is not just a Canadian hero, he is a reminder of home. My family saw him train, I went to Terry Fox high school and his family spoke at my graduation. My Terry Fox run was the hometown run, he grew up not far from me.
Every year schools across the country participate in their version of a Terry Fox Run. This year our staff came together to create an amazing opportunity for students by marking the field to scale, creating welcome posters for each province, and having an amazing assembly to kick things off. The weather held out and we ran on the field together celebrating Terry's spirit and determination. It was a magical morning that ended with Dadda telling one of our KG teachers "Well, walk across Canada - check! Now I can tell my friends I went across Canada - TWICE!" A great ending to a fantastic day! Orange shirt day is a day to honour every child, to remember the impact of the horrifying experience of residential schools and to re-commit to never allowing an experience like that to happen again. Our Board of Trustees explain their perspective here: https://www.cbe.ab.ca/news-centre/Pages/orange-shirt-day-2018.aspx As a school, Orange Shirt Day is not something we have embraced at Marlborough but it is something I feel we need to. It is certainly not because we don't value the perspective or see the need to support this initiative, anything that shows a commitment to reconciliation is important. I will work hard to ensure we honour this day next year, and the years that follow. I was very excited for Dadda to spend the better part of the day with my friend Michelle at Niitsitapi. For the past year, the staff at Niitsitapi have engaged with indigenous elders and the University of Calgary on a large research project detailing the impact of the wraparound services provided at the site each and every day. Although I was not present for the sharing of the findings, Dadda explained that the connections grounded in the work at Niitsitapi were more impactful than originally anticipated. No surprise there! She was so impressed with the staff, the building, and the commitment to ensuring every child matters, it was a wonderful way to celebrate Orange Shirt Day. After a very busy week we celebrated together in very Canadian cold weather fashion...
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorAubrey: "Leader of the Elves"....that's me. Mom of two amazing guys, wife to one bigger (yet no less amazing) guy and teacher of little ones. Blogging about the adventures (usually with my rubber chicken in tow) is one of my favourite things. Archives
April 2019
|