Sudbury high school marks day with 'Walk for Wenjack'
It was a moving and solemn morning outside St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School as more than 700 students made their way around the track for the 'Walk for Wenjack' on Thursday.
The annual Walk For Wenjack honours Chanie Wenjack, an Anishinaabe boy who died at age 12 while running away from his residential school near Redditt, Ont., and the thousands like him who never made it home.
The school held the event to mark the first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
"To me, I was looking forward to this day but I also had my own heaviness that I would carry," said Indigenous support worker Shannon Agowissa. "Starting out and seeing all the students wearing the orange shirts really made a difference."
Agowissa worked with the school's administration to carry out the walk.
Class-by-class, students made their way outside where they learned about smudging and how the walk would work.
They followed their teachers around the track and stopped at various signs that raised awareness about residential schools. Afterward, students were given an orange ribbon to tie around the flag pole of an "Every Child Matters" flag.
"It's powerful and you want to make sure you're doing it right," Agowissa said.
"I want kids to see smudge and think 'oh okay, I know what that is,' and allow them to make the decision to smudge or say 'I don't need to,' to make this an everyday thing for them."
As an Indigenous woman, Agowissa said it was moving to see how students took the exercise seriously. She's hoping they all leave having learned something when the day is over.
"To see the moments... because kids are kids right? They want to play. They want to have fun. That's natural in them and respecting them as youths, but also you want them to ... we're going to take a moment here and respect the stories that we're hearing today," she added.
It was a similar feeling for Grade 10 student Destiny Nootchtai.
"I feel it's important because it's important for our school community to be involved in something like this," Nootchtai said. "A lot of them don't know what's going on today so I feel like Shannon's role is really important in what she's doing and how she teaches them."
She calls the walk a really good start for the school as it starts its journey toward truth and reconciliation.
"I hope students take knowledge, and respect, and kindness, and just learning lots of things. I think this is pretty great, it was a pretty great day, it was a good start," Nootchtai said.
St. Benedict is one of a few schools in the immediate area that have signed on to become a 'legacy school.' It's a commitment towards action and participating in the "Every Child Matters" initiative.
Legacy schools are part of a national initiative that was launched by the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund.
If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.
Closing arguments heard in trial for Sask. dad accused of abducting daughter
Closing arguments were heard Thursday morning in the case of Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter in 2021 to keep her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.