Mini Leadership Camp

Mini Leadership Camp

Quebec High School

Quebec High School teacher Fannie Cayouette-Marsh worked with her Secondary Cycle 2 students to develop a mini-leadership camp to promote positive relationships between teenagers and elementary school students.  The genuine need for this projectwas to encourage elementary school students to register in a Central Quebec School Board High School in secondary 1 and by doing so, stay connected to the English Community.

Ms. Cayouette-Marsh points out, "We are losing close to 50% of the students population in the transition from English elementary schools from those choosing to pursue their studies in the French or private sector." 

This reality encouraged the QHS leadership class to create a project that will build relationships to encourage enrollment in CQSB high schools. The QHS students also wanted to highlight the good things that the youth in the English community do and showcase the great young leaders in the English Community.

On January 15 and 16, 2013, the QHS leadership class took two grade 4 classes from Holland elementary school to the Camp Saisonnier for one day of Leadership activities. The QHS students shared their leadership expertise through different activities that promoted trust, teamwork, communication and leadership skills, and through their actions, encouraged the younger students to continue their education in the English through the Central Quebec School Board.

This activity highlights the ability of youth to be part of the solution in strengthening Quebec’s English school system.

To read more about the project, click here.

Project of Heart La Tuque High School CLC

La Tuque High School CLC

Central Quebec School Board

La Tuque leveraged PoH to build and strengthen several local partnerships and connections. Aboriginal artists and organizations came into the school, and students attended events at the local Friendship Centre.

“I was also aware that La Tuque had a residential school here in town.  I felt it important to get involved in order to teach our students about residential schools, to bridge the gap between our community and the Atikamekw, Cree and Innu that live in La Tuque and finally, to help the healing begin here in town.

After a variety of curriculum activities and the tile decorating, local artist Laurianne Petiquay was commissioned to create two identifcal final art pieces. ​

“When the pieces were complete, we had two ceremonies. The first one was for the students at the school.  Yolande Jacob came to bless the piece that would stay at the school.  Alfred Birothe, Laurianne Petiquay and Michelle Dupuis joined in the ceremony.  Laurianne explained how she designed and created the piece and she explained her use of colours and symbols.  Then Yolande purified the piece with an Atikamekw prayer and with the burning of sweet grass.  Then all the teachers and students were invited to close their eyes and sing a final prayer of healing, while Yolande sang and drummed.  

The heart tells the story of all the children that were affected by the residential school. The tiles represent the children on their journey away from and back to their home, represented by the tee-pee in back.  The heart is cracked, but healing, though some cracks will always stay.  The purple feather on the front represents the suffering and sorrow. The Turquoise stone in the middle represents healing and security for the Atikamekw and is encircled by sweet grass, a purifying herb.  The silver dust represents the spirits of those children who never made it home.

The second ceremony took place at the Complexe Culturel during Mon Rendez-Vous Autochtone. Michelle Dupuis, coordinator  at the Centre d'Amitié Autochtone de La Tuque, told the participants about our project and how this piece was to be displayed at CAALT.  Again, Yolande blessed the piece and sang a purifying prayer.  Finally, a group of Atikamekw singers sang while we danced a round dance.

Our work does not end here.  We are strengthening our partnership with the CAALT, by having the artist work with our students on different projects.  The CAALT is joining us as we march in support of Shannen's dream, and helping us to create a video about it.  Finally, the CAALT  have  approached us for help in introducing the residential school history and the PoH in the French schools in town.”

To see more about this project… Click Here.

Project of Heart Centennial Regional High School CLC

Centennial Regional High School CLC

Riverside School Board

CRHS, on Montreal’s South Shore, has over 1100 students from 68 different cultural backgrounds! With less than 10 identified Aboriginal students, two teachers of History & Citizenship classes decided to present PoH within a broader study of cultural genocides in world history. Many students who are Newcomers to Canada were surprised to learn about IRS history, and could relate Aboriginal experiences here to atrocities in their own countries of origin. 

The concept that everyone, at some point in their life, has been marginalized or isolated for a reason beyond their control, really allowed students to relate to the project and fight against bullying of all kinds.  

By the end there were over 300 students who participated, over 1200 tiles decorated, and 5 teachers on board!

To see more about this project… Click Here.

Snacks from the Garden

Snacks from the Garden

Richmond Regional High School CLC

Danielle Hamel

Richmond Regional High School has a beautiful community garden, which Math and Science teacher Danielle Hamel decided to incorporate into her lessons.

Secondary-one science students started seedlings in March and transplanted them in the garden outside before the end of the school year.  When the students came back after the summer, they harvested what they had planted.

 

Throughout the summer, Ms. Hamel, a local resident of the community collected the most abundant fruit and vegetables which included zucchini, black berries, strawberries, tomatoes and garlic and placed them in her freezer at home.

When October came, she was teaching proportions in her secondary-two math class and had the students double or triple recipes for smoothies, muffins and dips. The class then spent a period cooking and baking.  Surprisingly, for some students, it was their first experience and some found it quite a challenge, but most students enjoyed it.

Through an annual survey of students, it was discovered that the healthy eating habits of teenagers could be improved.  The genuine service the students provided was the promotion of healthy, locally grown food. 

Students were asked to make pamphlets that included the recipe, nutritional facts and fun facts about the fruits and vegetables. The class then shared the snacks with the students from the high school, the elementary school, the nursery school, the day care and two local senior homes. The class wanted to promote locally grown, healthy snacks as well as reaching out to our community, showing positive things that the teens are doing at the high school.

To read more about the project, click here.

St. John's Healthy Heritage Project

St John's CLC

St John’s Elementary students took part in a program entitled the “Lunch Club project”.  The workshop’s aim was to increase student, parent and community awareness of healthy lifestyle choices such as good nutrition and active living.  

The project was geared to help provide students with basic cooking skills and understanding of the importance of all four food groups by teaching them what ingredients to include and what to avoid.

Through the Lunch Club Project students realized that preparing their own lunches at school eating healthy can be fun. With the loving attention of the seniors group Lionnettes, and careful guidance of St. John’s School Nurse, a strong intergenerational dynamic could also be felt in the school, giving it all more of a family kitchen feel.

The project’s huge success was due to capable partnerships with Bouffe Pontiac who provided a free animator for the Nutrition workshops. Pontiac en Forme provided an animator that helped the children in preparing the lunches. The Lionnettes helped supervise the students as they prepared their lunches, St. John’s School Nurse who monitors their lunches and finally even the town Mayor participated in the activity and found the program “Remarkable”.

Since the start of the Lunch Club Project students are more aware of a nutritional diet and have a greater  variety of interesting recipes and healthy practices.

Check out an amazing recipe and activity book compiled for this project by.. Clicking Here.

Saint Lambert Healthy Heritage Project

Saint Lambert CLC

Students and families of the Saint Lambert area participated in a two-part workshop geared towards promoting the importance of healthy nutrition practices. An innovative aspect was that parents and students would be split into child-cooking and parent-nutritional info workshops and then brought back together near the end of the evening to integrate their learnings while parents enjoyed the outcome of the children’s workshop!

 

“We wanted to show our families that preparing healthy meals (together to strengthen their bonds as a family) does not need to be difficult.” - Natasha MacDonald, CLC Coordinator.

The first workshop entitled “Packing Healthy Lunches”, introduced students to healthy lunch alternatives, with a twist on the traditional tuna sandwich as well as introducing other healthy side alternatives such as sesame noodle salad and green salad.

The second workshop was entitled “How to Prepare Healthy Meals as a Family”. Students and their families were educated on healthy eating practices such as how to get full servings of all essential food groups.  This was followed by strategies for preparing simple yet interesting meals they can take home and prepare with their families.

Students prepared chicken breasts wrapped in pancetta with leeks, and chicken breasts with asparagus and tomatoes to take home and cook as a family. This workshop was successful in helping children understand nutrition and how to ensure they maintain a healthy diet, along with some exciting twists on traditional dishes.  But they also had the opportunity to bond with their parents creating a stronger sense of community. After the workshops students and their families left with their very own CLC Family Cookbook to continue the healthy trends learned with family.

 

The workshops were a huge success.

“You could literally see the excitement on the children’s' faces as they led their parents and grandparents into their cooking area, showing off all their hard work.  The enthusiasm and sense of empowerment was very strong.”

Everyone’s efforts showed in their dishes and parents left understanding the need for attention to food preparation with families, as noted in several parent comments:

“I noticed I need to pay more attention to labels before I buy.”

“I learned that simpler can be better, and to eat less processed foods.”

 “I'm re-inspired to eat properly again.”

Thanks goes to the diligent efforts of partners Sandra Power, Holistic Nutritional Consultant and Margaret Kassab of Simple Gourmet. Their efforts ensured that the workshops ran smoothly and effectively while providing students and their families with the know how to prepare healthy meals on their own. 

St Lambert compiled a great list of documents for this project, including yummy smoothie recipies, a Family Nutrition Workshop and handouts for Packing Healthy Lunches and Cooking with Kids. 

To access all these great resources click here!

Metis Beach School Healthy Heritage Project

Métis Beach School

Students and community had the opportunity to take part in a workshop geared toward cultural understanding and acceptance of differences through some activities quite non-traditional to the area!

For three days the African percussion teacher, Louise Amyot, came to Metis Beach School to work with students and community members developing new skills and further understanding through documentary film, storytelling, songs and percussion practice.

This turned out to be very successful, and creative. As participants explored different artistic media and aspects of African culture, a positive sense of belonging was generated and positive relationships were bolstered. This is the sort of experience that we find contributing to reducing bullying.

To achieve the goal of acceptance students had the opportunity to learn by engaging themselves in a part of a culture foreign to their own. Students worked with the community members to create different rhythms and provide sounds effects for traditional stories. Aiding to understanding and acceptance of differences.

The community links greatly increased our success. For ten days before and after the activities at the school, Métis-sur-Mer Public Library brought together resources and information about African countries, cultures and the changing political situations in a free exhibition. Students as well as community members, including those who were unable to attend the workshops, were invited to view and discuss.

The success of this intergenerational and community building program was due to the diligent efforts of the partners involved including Louise Amyot who provided the cultural expertise and insight, the seniors who participated and Métis-sur-Mer Public Library. 

Mecatina CLC and Harrington Harbour CLC CHSSN "C is for Coast" Project

"C is for Coast"

A fantastic initiative called “C is for Coast – Photo Share” was launched to bridge the gap between the youth and the seniors of the Lower North Shore. The goal was to instill in the youth a sense of community and family that goes beyond the immediate household.

The students in the region are becoming less aware of the life of their grandparents and great grandparents. This initiative helped create a sense of self-esteem in youth and seniors through the sharing of their own individual knowledge, while creating a connection and breaking down isolation between the two groups.

Specifically, grade 2-4 students at Mecatina School sent invitations to local seniors, prepared snacks and prepared a PowerPoint presentation about the Lower North Shore in which students used pictures from the "'C' is for Coast" project website. (To see the presentation.. Click Here.)

The seniors brought their own pictures and stories to share information and memories about local places, moments and landmarks.  The stories brought much needed understanding to places, in a humourous & personable way that is hard to replicate in a typical history class. The event was a relaxed environment that allowed both groups to come together in a meaningful way, demonstrating the power of intergenerational collaborations.  Students enjoyed demonstrating their expertise with new technologies and the seniors were please to share some “old fashioned know how”.

CLC Coordinator Molly Organ said:

"The project was a huge success and watching the seniors and students present with such pride in what they were sharing was one of the best parts of the day."

Without the aid of the involved Seniors from the community, this project would not have been possible and a generational gap would have continued. Now as a result of this initiative, students have made a bond we hope they continue to maintain.  

Lachute Healthy Heritage Project

Lachute CLC

Students of Laurentian Elementary participated in a character-building workshop for at-risk students to feel more connected to their family and school.

This initiative was executed through an “Intergenerational Gardening Project” which teamed up an at-risk student with their grandparents to help teach the students how to grow flowering plants, which requires technical and timely support to harvest and finally sell their flowers as a part of a school fundraiser.

 

The overall aim was to have the student’s work at something they could see through to the end, while being invested throughout in order to help them develop the lifelong skills necessary for success while creating a positive connection between family and school.

The workshop went off brilliantly and students found themselves invested throughout, learning that patience and dedication are virtues worth cultivating. The initiative was a great success that the children and partners involved can both be proud of.

The project was successful through the irreplaceable help of partners Benoit Mallet a Teacher at L.E.S., Erin Traynor L.E.S.’sSpecial Education Technician, and Rola Helo at 4Korners Family Resource Centre.  

Grosse-Ile Entry Island CLC Leadership and Anti-Bullying

Grosse-Ile Entry Island CLC

Active Leadership Workshop 2013

Students from Grosse Ile CLC were taken to the woods of Grande-Entrée to participate in a workshop focused on leadership and team spirit building activities. Students took on leadership challenges such as: learning how to build fires, how to find their way out of the woods, how to work as a team,  and build empathy.

The overall aim of each workshop was to equip students with the tools needed to develop themselves into competent and capable young adults while understanding that we must work together to reach common goals as well as individual ones.

Another goal was to engage fathers and older men in mentorships with the students. In the end this aspect was not achieved.  However, reflecting on lessons learned we have several new ideas for better outreach and engagement for next year, including recruiting a few fathers to lead sessions and do outreach to the others.

Pink T-Shirt day -An Anti-Bullying event was another intergenerational activity developed in partnership with l’Accalmie, the CSSS and the 50+ club. During the event, students and members of the 50+ Club participated in a workshop that highlighted what is bullying as well as bullying prevention strategies.

This workshop aided the 50+ Club members by allowing them to understand the realities of today’s youth and what ways they can help as adults to bridge the generational gap between our youth and adults.

The students benefited by recognizing what bullying really is and learned key ways to prevent bullying in the community. The collaboration of the 50+Club also allowed bullying awareness to be spread in the community, further than the school.

These activities were developed in partnership: CAMI NPI, Grosse-Ile School Spiritual Animator, 50+ Club, an ex-scout/Grosse -Ile student,  l’Accalmie and CSSS.

Baie-Comeau Healthy Heritage Project

Baie-Comeau

Baie Comeau CLC organized three intergenerational health activities with the support of the CHSSN grant, with the shared goal of bringing both young and old together in mutually beneficial workshops to build relationships and counter social isolation.

One activity was the ‘Hero in 30’, a workshop where members of the 50+ Club worked alongside high school students to learn how to assess the state of a person in physical distress and deal with a crisis situation using CPR and first aid; a highly beneficial skill set important for any age.

The second and third activities saw two groups of elementary school students working alongside members of the 50+ Club to share healthy living habits and dialogue on issues concerning social isolation, increasing empathy and understanding.  

Later in the day, members of the 50+ Club treated students to a heritage and history exchange where they learned about the historical significance and uniqueness of the Church of St. Andrew & St. George, as well as how the building reflects the heritage of the Anglophone pioneers of Baie-Comeau.

Overall the workshops were a huge success through great contributions by the CLC’s partner - North Shore Community Association (NSCA), the 50+ Club and the Church of St. Andrew and St. George. With the help of these organizations the Baie Comeau CLC and community were able to reach their goal for this year of creating ownership and pride in our heritage sites.

The project also supported learning beneficial skills related to crisis management, understanding of local history and continuously promoting a healthy active lifestyle for young and old alike while shrinking the generational gap and social isolation.

Richelieu Valley CHSSN Healthy Heritage Project

   

     Richelieu Valley Regionalized CLC

This past school year 140 Students from Cedar Street Elementary School in Beloeil, Quebec, and 185 students from Mountainview School in Otterburn Park had the opportunity to participate in numerous nutrition activities during the months of April and May. These are two of five elementary schools that are being incorporated into a new regionalized CLC model for enhanced sustainability being explored by the RVCLC at  Riverside School Board.

Activities were decided upon by a 5 member committee that consisted of two Principals, 2 Health and Social Services Staff and the RVCLC Coordinator.  Activities were delivered with the help of 2 Principals, RVCLC Coordinator, 2 Health and Social Services workers, Teachers and parental volunteers.  The goal was to influence students to understand the impacts of their food choices and the importance of eating healthier. This was also linked to broader goals of community engagement and service.

Students first attended workshops to learn about healthy food groups, how to read a nutrition label and healthy snack eating. Students at the workshops had a chance to create and eat their healthy snack ideas selecting from items such as honey melon, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, mandarins, cucumbers, strawberries, lettuce and blueberries.  The alfalfa sprouts that the students ate in their fruit/veggie salads were germinated and grown by them over the course of 8 days.

Grade 5/6 students from Mountainview organized a community thank-you lunch! They prepared and served meals to senior citizens from local community organizations that had partnered with the school on other activities over the year, i.e. the senior reading buddies.

The program ran a number of weeks and was a great success thanks to amazing partners who collaborated to help every step of the way. A Nurse and Social Worker from the CSSS Richelieu-Yamaska helped teachers and administrators throughout the process along with the RVCLC Coordinator and  parent volunteers and a helpful student volunteer from Dawson College.

Thanks to the efforts of these people all activities were a great success teaching students and the community how to eat healthy and simply, while having fun and being of service to their elders!

​​

Growing up Green at Parkdale

Parkdale CLC

This past year nearly 100 children of Parkdale Elementary had the opportunity to participate in a great new program called “Growing up Green at Parkdale”, which had several interesting components woven together.

The heart of the project is the vegetable garden, and a focus on the mutual importance of both healthy eating habits AND a healthy community. We tried to make the garden a non-stressful environment. Through the initiative children got to work along side their friends as well as teachers, including ALL of Parkdale’s French teachers, which was a great experience considering the English dominant environment of Parkdale elementary. The project was a great success exposing our children and their families to healthy habits; which is an identified goal at Les Tables de Concertations (Youth Planning Table) in our region.

During the project children involved themselves by not only choosing which vegetables the school would plant but also planting with their grandparents helping aid in the strengthening of family and community while learning the importance of healthy living with a particular focus on both French and English.

The booming success of this project was a direct result of our collaborative efforts through our various partners that allowed us to apply for more grants and allow this idea to develop. Of those who made the entireendeavor possible as well as successful EMSB, CHSSN, Quebec en Forme, Vert-Cité (Éco-Quartier of St-Laurent) and AREQ du Ruisseau Raimbault  are amongst the most notable.

Also, the highly knowledgeable horticulturalist hired by the Éco-Quartier  and graphic designer Don Royer (for helping with the creation of the Calendar) were invaluable aids throughout the entire project. No partner is greater than another and thanks to the efforts and contribution of everyone involved the children benefit most of all taking with them not only some soiled hands but also the seeds of success.

 Parkdale created two 2013-2014 School Calendars... Click Here to view!

Harrington Harbour Healthy Heritage Project

Harrington Harbour CLC

This project gave  students an opportunity to learn cooking and food preparation strategies. Because many students will end up leaving this small town to go away for school, we wanted to show them how to maintain a well balanced diet once they are away from home and build their confidence in their abilities so that, even for those remaining in town, they are not afraid to try cooking something different on their own. Our larger goal is to support their healthy growth and proper functioning now and into the future. The 50+ Club wanted to create connections with the youth in the community and show them the traditional manners of cooking local specialities.

Since the onset of the program they had seen all of the students involved evolve from shy quiet young men (at least in the kitchen!) waiting to be told how and what to do, to young men with the confidence to start on their own and follow a recipe once they know what they are preparing.  The evenings are now filled with camaraderie, jokes, smiling faces and good smells.

The project was concluded with a spaghetti dinner (with something a little less healthy for dessert, Texas Brownies, we thought that this was a good way to end) for all of the volunteers prepared by 8 of the student participants

“They did an amazing job and it was a great evening.” CLC Coordinator

As always none of this is possible without the help of some great people. The 50 + Club provided recipes and cooking skills. The BCN En Forme , also helped to make this whole endeavour possible by providing supervision and extra help. It is the contribution from these partners as well as the willingness of the students involved which has made this project such a great success and so much fun. 

Try some of the Harrington Cooking Club's recipies at home by... Clicking Here.

Centennial Healthy Heritage Project

A new awareness campaign this year expanded the standard March Nutrition Month to a life-long campaign concept! It consisted of 5 projects: a food demonstration, Chopped, Tupperware, Nutrition & Mind Detox, and Smoothies. Of course everyone wants to encourage healthy eating habits, but we realized for true success we need to involve our whole community, not just students. The campaign began with the children but spread throughout the community not only educating the children but further strengthening the community bonds throughout.

First, March 18 there was a huge table set up in the student lounge, to display healthy andunusual options many were not aware of: dried figs, passion fruit, dragon fruit, papayas, mangos, hummus and peppers/celery/carrots, longans…etc. Students were able to take a variety of options to try, were given health guides, and were able to ask questions.

Shortly after, on May 29th, there was a Chopped Competition as seen on the Food Network where students and seniors formed teams to compete against each other with secret ingredients to form a healthy, creative, tasty and unique lunch that they can recreate at home or bring to school. Each team opened their baskets to reveal all the same ingredients inside and had a total of 30 minutes to create their meals, and judges sampled. They were judged on using all their ingredients, creativity, taste and teamwork. The senior community members were able to assist our students in preparation techniques, cooking and preparation ideas, and nutritional factors.

Tupperware was also invited to do a demonstration the same day and all the proceeds from sales went to the home economics department which is in dire need of funding.

Following the amazing Chopped competition the campaign pressed on and on May 27 a Nutritional Consultant and Mind Detox specialist was brought in who performed a culinary workshop for over 50 staff members. Afterward staff worked on quick and easy recipes and routines to incorporate in their daily lives in order to reduce the stressors that they face.

Finally on June 3rd the last event held in the form of a smoothie demonstration highlighting the importance of healthy morning meals by distributing over 400+ smoothies and over 200+ recipe cards for students and staff.

The campaign itself has been such a huge success. Thanks to their efforts enrollment in the home economics is higher than it has ever been! Thanks to partners: Catherine Lambert the CLSC Nurse who was the most involved partner throughout, Sandra Powers - Nutritional and Mind Detox Specialist, Lise Beaupre from Tupperware, 6 senior women from the community who want to return for more activities, Dora Prokosh: a retiree from Centennial, Arianne Wright: Family & Life Skill Department Coordinator, and Adonis: Food Retailer, and a few returning partners who assisted: Animator/Parent Annie Beauregard, Valerie Forde and Steven Carroll.

To find out more about Centennial Regional CLC and the other projects they have running please check out: www.facebook.com/Centennialclc

St Willibrord School-Community Garden

For the third year in a row, teachers at St Willibrord School and CLC have been developing a school-community garden that allows for hands on learning opportunities about plants in French and Science.  In addition, students have the opportunity to grow food that is shared with families in the community. The work of students and teachers promotes healthy eating and awareness of growing vegetables and eating healthy snacks straight from a garden.

In an innovative partnership, the responsibility for the garden is given to a local camp during the summer and returned to the school in September.  This past year featured a partnership with McGill students in urban horticulture who researched the garden, analyzing the current situation and making suggestions for future developments.

Click here to learn more about St. Willibrord’s School-Community Garden.

Project of Heart Gaspe Elementary School CLC

Gaspe Elementary School CLC

Eastern Shores School Board

Gaspe’s PoH was a very successful example of community-wide engagement. After students completed the normal steps, they were supported by the principal and many teachers to create art projects based on several prominent Aboriginal artists, displayed at an evening art gallery. The event was so popular that CBC was in attendance, resulting in a fabulous interview including some impressively articulate students!

“In class grades 3-6, using the 100 years of loss kits and the novel Fatty Legs we covered the history of residential schools to varying degrees based on the age of the children, but they all finished with an understanding of what happened.

Through the project we strengthened our relationship with an organizer in the Aboriginal community, Andrew Lavigne. Several of the staff involved were invited by Andrew to attend a sunrise ceremony on the morning of gallery night. We were very excited to have been invited and the experience was wonderful.

He helped us to make contact with Elder who came to our Art Gallery Evening and led a gathering ceremony and smudged the tiles in the presence of all those who were there.

Everyone then toured the gallery and listened to their children explain what they had learned. The students were very happy to share that moment with their families. Andrew set up a table with native artifacts and stayed to help those present learn about his culture. We had about 80 people attend.

Overall, this has been a powerful learning experience for students, staff and parents and we are already preparing for next year!”

To see more about this project… Click Here.

Project of Heart New Richmond High School CLC

New Richmond High School CLC

Eastern Shores School Board

NRHS also had a powerful twinning experience as a result of PoH. Through special funding from CTF they were one of several schools offered funds to travel with a twin school to Montreal for the TRC event.

In this case, they partnered with a neighboring school on-reserve in the community of … This is a strong example of practical reconciliation at the local level, as many students migrate back and forth between these two schools over their academic years. Students and teachers working together between the schools helps to build stronger continuity for these transitions, and contribute to greater peace and understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students.

“This was a phenomenal experience for our school. The students were engaged in class and participated well in all aspects. Those that were able to travel to Montreal came back even more excited about the project and were able to give testimony to their families and peers during our Evening of Healing.

We created 3 commemorative art projects with the more than 500 tiles. One of these projects is on display in our school entrance. A second project was given to our twin-school community of Gesgapegiag and the third will be given to the Project of Heart as thanks for starting the whole project.

The ‘Evening of Healing’ was hosted on April 30th as a means for our students to share their learning, experiences and stories from the project. It was a way for us to acknowledge the history and legacy of Indian Residential Schools and commemorate the lives of those affected by this history.

For us, the 100+ turnout (in a school that generally struggles with parent participation) was truly an acknowledgement of how important this history is to our students, our school and our communities. Start to finish this was a moving and important project.”

To see more about this project… Click Here.