The discovery of 215 bodies that were found buried at the residential school in Kamloops has stirred the country. 

Students in the Foothills were encouraged to wear orange this week to school to promote awareness about the Indian residential school system and the impact it has had on Indigenous communities for over a century. 

Principal at St Mary's Elementary School in Okotoks Brandon Bailey says the conversation the community is having is a hard but important one.

"The impact is horrific and you know we are committed to doing better. We're committed to finding the truth and to building reconciliation, and that's part of our journey here, and I think we're all called to be compassionate and to do whatever we can to, you know, honour those that are affected."

He adds the school's involvement in Orange Shirt Day, which usually takes place in September, makes the conversation about what happened at Residental Schools more approachable for the younger students. 

"As an administrator, it's really important for me if I'm doing any theme day or colour day, that I attach the meaning to that because as much as we want to build awareness for certain causes, it really is important that we understand ‘what is it that we need to understand, to act on?’ What is it that you do with that information that makes you a better person and makes our community safer, healthier, more inclusive environment."

He says these conversations are difficult because they don't know what they already may have learned about the topic.

"This situation is hard because some families may not have had those conversations with their children. So we kind of go back to Orange Shirt Day and the pieces that we've put into place and the context that we were building, and then if a question was to come up that's more pointed then we can have those conversations with students."

He continues, "the challenge I have is, how do I engage in that conversation, but ensure that I'm involving the right voices and not unintentionally telling a story that may not be told in the way or in the spirit or in the intent that it needs to be or should be."

Brandon believes we are headed in the right direction even by talking about it. 

"You don't have to worry about asking the questions, but just make sure that you're doing better going forward and the optimism I have is that, when I went to school, this wasn’t something that was talked about, that you would learn about, that you would understand and you can't really impact change if you don't have that knowledge, that understanding, that awareness of these horrific things. So as we try to build that again, I think it's all part of this journey of reconciliation."

 

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