Full-day, school-wide learning about truth and reconciliation

Led by an Elder, the Hugh Boyd school community gathered in a circle for a moment of silence in 2024. Lee Enriquez photo, form Hugh Boyd student.

This work is about pushing past the fear of doing the wrong thing.… we must be comfortable being uncomfortable sometimes. – Brandy Lekakis

When Brandy Lekakis moved to Hugh Boyd Secondary School in Richmond, she brought a wealth of experience facilitating student engagement with truth and reconciliation. Michael Taylor, who teaches Social Justice 12 at Hugh Boyd, was eager to expand the school’s existing one-period lesson and exhibit framework for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to create more opportunities for collective learning.

The two teachers started out by planning two blocks of collective learning for all students and staff to commemorate September 30 in 2024. Last fall they expanded the program to a full day of listening, learning, and reflecting on Canada’s history and our shared responsibility to work toward reconciliation.

“Providing multiple, collective activities on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation sends a clear, unmistakable signal to students that this issue matters to our school community,” said Michael.

The activities students and staff participated in, outlined in more detail on the next page, included oral storytelling; a keynote speaker; learning about the Expo ’67 Indians of Canada Pavilion, where Indigenous Peoples from across Canada shared Indigenous art and activism; and an outdoor circle where the school gathered for a moment of silence.

“We wanted to highlight Indigenous resistance and resilience,” said Brandy. With that in mind, all the activities were designed to centre the strength and legacy of Indigenous Peoples across Canada.

Students with an exhibit they made in 2025 about the Expo ’67 Indians of Canada Pavilion. Michael Taylor photo.

After each activity, students and teachers returned to their classrooms to participate in a reflection process. Brandy and Michael created reflection prompts to help classes make meaning of each school-wide activity. The reflection is a key part of the learning because it is an opportunity to contextualize what they experienced and consider how it deepens their understanding of Canadian history and Indigenous experiences.

Brandy and Michael wanted teachers to be able to participate alongside students, so the experience is one of collective learning. Providing teachers with the reflection prompts allowed them to also take part in the activities as learners, take risks for learning, and model participation in reconciliation. “This work is about pushing past the fear of doing the wrong thing,” said Brandy. “This is a process where we must be comfortable being uncomfortable sometimes.”

Student responses to the reflection prompts have surprised both Michael and Brandy. Students showed empathy, thoughtfulness, and deep reflection in writing their responses.

We have a deep responsibility as non-Indigenous educators to commit to this work.… to model what reconciliation can be. – Michael Taylor

Students have also demonstrated strong leadership in the school community by helping plan the full day of learning activities. Michael’s Social Justice 12 students helped assemble hallway displays, organized the day, and facilitated smooth transitions between activities. The school-wide commemoration of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation has become an opportunity for students to share their learning and art while leading community learning in the school.

Next September’s plans are already underway at Hugh Boyd. Brandy’s students in English First Peoples are currently reading Five Little Indians by Michelle Good. Their task this semester is to write and direct a screenplay adaptation of the book. Drama and art classes have joined the project to help with costumes, set design, acting, and production.

For Michael and Brandy, taking on this work is an important part of their personal commitments to reconciliation. “We have a deep responsibility as non-Indigenous educators to commit to this work,” said Michael. “It’s an opportunity for us to model what reconciliation can be.”

Stones painted by members of the school community. Photo provided by authors.

Ideas from Michael and Brandy for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Collectively experience oral storytelling

Have students and staff read aloud a story by an Indigenous author while everyone else participates in active listening. Birdman by Richard Wagamese was the story used at Hugh Boyd last fall. Follow up with reflection prompts for students.

Reflection examples

Listening collectively to a story builds connection with our learning community because…

Grade 9 student: It shows us no matter our differences as people, we can all collectively listen and share ideas with one another and feel empathetic through each other.

Grade 11 student: It strengthens our sense of belonging and shared purpose to move us closer to true reconciliation.

Hearing a story as a greater community makes me think about…

Grade 8 student: Being a better person and it can really encourage the greater community to be the shelter for struggling people…. It made me think about the old me two years ago when I struggled a lot, then people “sheltered” me.

Host a keynote speaker

Invite a community member or Elder to speak at a school assembly. Connect with them in advance so you have an idea of what they will speak about and can prepare reflection questions accordingly.

Reflection examples

Listening to survivors tell their stories is important to the work of truth and reconciliation because…

Grade 9 student: It deepens our understanding about the history of the kids that had to experience that tragedy.… Everyone deserves the chance to speak publicly about what happened.Listening to survivors tell their stories made me feel…Grade 9 student: Grateful that Canadians matured from trying to change everyone’s differences.

Create displays about Indigenous resistance and resilience

Hugh Boyd students created a display that showcased the curation and impact of the Indians of Canada Pavilion at Expo ’67, where First Nations from across Canada shared messages of decolonization and sovereignty through curated art, artifacts, architecture, and messages. Classes were invited to engage with the display like an exhibit, with follow-up reflection questions for when they return to their classroom.

Reflection examples

Why are stories of Indigenous resistance and resilience important in the work of truth and reconciliation?Grade 11 student: Indigenous stories of resistance and resilience build bridges for reconciliation, fostering empathy, and inspiring non-Indigenous people to participate in repairing relationships.… They also foster pride in Indigenous culture, making them key to a more just and inclusive Canadian society.

School-wide culminating activity

Invite the whole school to participate in an activity that allows for a visual representation of the school community’s collective commitment to reconciliation. At Hugh Boyd, 700 students and staff stood together outdoors in a circle for a moment of silence to end their day of learning.

Students are invited to write down a personal act of recon-ciliation and add it to a larger display as they exit the school to join the school-wide circle. Last fall, students wrote a message of truth and reconciliation on a rock and placed the rocks along a cedar path in the school’s entryway. The year before, students wrote a personal act of reconciliation on a paper feather that was added to a large hawk display in the hallway. This creates a visual reminder for students of the learning that took place for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.