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South Crosby PS Wraps Up Secret Path Week with Walk for Wenjack
South Crosby PS Wraps Up Secret Path Week with Walk for Wenjack
Posted on 10/26/2021
Walk for Wenjack

October 25, 2021 (Elgin, ON) – Last week, South Crosby Public School classrooms engaged in learning activities surrounding Secret Path Week, a national movement commemorating the legacies of Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack.

To finish off the week, on Friday, Oct. 22, staff, students and community members took to the streets of Elgin for the South Crosby PS Walk for Wenjack, to honour residential school survivors, those who didn’t survive, and their families.

The Walk for Wenjack honours Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old boy who escaped a residential school in 1966 and passed away after a courageous attempt to travel the 600 km back to his home.

The late Gord Downie, famously known as the Tragically Hip’s lead singer, co-wrote the book Secret Path which tells Chanie’s story through art.

When the school registered for the walk, they received several copies of Downie’s book along with classroom resources, which staff incorporated into their learning throughout the week. Through music, math, social studies, science and art, teachers were creative in sharing Chanie’s story and focussed the learning on residential schools.

“Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is an important day to honour and recognize, but we can’t stop the conversation there,” says South Crosby Principal Dave Balfour. “It’s important that this generation of youth learn about the truths of residential schools, as many adults did not receive the same teachings when they were in school. Our goal at South Crosby is to teach the truth to the next generation.”

The school raised over $1,100 for their walk, which will be donated to the Downie & Wenjack Fund. The fund aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

This is the first year that the school has participated in the Walk for Wenjack and they plan to continue the tradition for years to come.

 

For media inquiries, please contact:

Dave Balfour
Principal
 
South Crosby Public School
613-359-5933

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