Project of Heart wants to thank Kevin Conquest and Duulaa Roba for their hard work in getting P.O.H. off the ground and into the hearts of the students at Sir Wilfred Laurier High School in Ottawa. Chris Herodier Snowboy, IRS survivor and singer/songwriter, joined with the Sir Wilfed students to interpret the Project from his own experience, making the learning far more personal than what most learners have come to expect from a history module. Continue reading Sir Wilfred Laurier students lead Project of Heart
Category Archives: OCDSB
Nepean High School remembers Ermineskin and Lac La Biche residential schools
Report by Leigh Williamson, Outdoor Education Teacher, Nepean High School
A cross-section of engaged and enthusiastic grade 10 students at Nepean High School in Ottawa undertook the Project of Heart this fall. Our Outdoor Education class started off by taking a broad look at racism, stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination to lay the foundation. We watched a brief NFB video called “For Angela”, which helped to differentiate between those terms and their meanings. Continue reading Nepean High School remembers Ermineskin and Lac La Biche residential schools
All Saints Catholic H.S. students experience Project of Heart
On May 26th, All Saints Catholic School in Kanata participated in Project of Heart. It capped off Aboriginal Awareness Week at their school, and provided a unique opportunity for the whole school to learn about Indian Residential Schools and their impact on Aboriginal families and communities from their Indigenous guests. Native Studies teacher Amy Talarico and Art teacher Graham Mastersmith teamed up to help guide their students in learning about this much under-taught aspect of Canadian history, in preparation for presentations by an IRS survivor and a respected Elder. Continue reading All Saints Catholic H.S. students experience Project of Heart
Human Rights Tribunal attracts social action from POH students
Image: student Samantha Wells takes on role of courtroom artist
A federal Human Rights Tribunal in Ottawa was recently the scene of a Project of Heart “social action component” as students from Elizabeth Wyn Wood attended tribunal proceedings to show solidarity with the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society’s Executive director Cindy Blackstock, who took the stand to argue against a cynical government motion to dismiss the tribunal’s hearings into systemic underfunding of First Nations children in the child welfare system in Canada. Continue reading Human Rights Tribunal attracts social action from POH students
Frederick Banting Alternate stands witness to residential school history
Students at Frederick Banting Secondary School in Stittsville participated in Project of Heart as part of their Lifeskills and Aboriginal Studies courses. They chose to commemorate the Spanish Indian Residential School – formerly Wikwemikong – in Manitoulin Island. The tiles were smudged by Willy Bruce, who is a Native veteran and Carrier of the Aboriginal Vetern’s Eagle Staff. Students participated in an Honour Song at the Drum and listened attentively to Willy as he shared the Traditional Teachings on values that should govern our choices in life. As well, Willy gifted an Eagle Feather to the Banting Staff to honour all the young warriors who gave their health or lives as a result of the IRS experience. Continue reading Frederick Banting Alternate stands witness to residential school history
“I know what it’s like to be singled out”
Those are the words of a student from teacher Kristin Jefferies’s First Place program at Richard Pfaff Alternative in Ottawa.
The First Place students were reacting to what they had learned about the experience of being aboriginal during the Residential School era in Canada. The empathy they felt with the story of the abused students of their chosen school — Poplar Hill Residential School in Northern Ontario — showed clearly in the care and creativity with which they crafted their memorial tiles. Continue reading “I know what it’s like to be singled out”
Ottawa School commemorates notorious Mush Hole
The infamous Mohawk Institute was an Indian Residential School in Brantford, Ontario, which operated for over a century, finally closing its doors for good in 1969. Earlier this month, students of Elizabeth Wyn Wood Alternative School in Ottawa commemorated the children whose lives were lost as a result of attending the “Mush Hole”, as the institute was known to generations of students. (Click on image to see the set description, click here to see the slideshow.)
Students from art teacher Emily Park’s classroom joined with others students to participate in Project of Heart. Continue reading Ottawa School commemorates notorious Mush Hole
Tiles smudged at Ottawa high school
On March 20 residential school survivors and honoured guests joined students and staff at Elizabeth Wyn Wood Alternate School in Ottawa at the first-ever tile-smudging ceremony for Project of Heart.Our thanks go out to Lisgar Collegiate student Petra Smith who photographed the event; an annoted slideshow of the morning’s programme can be seen here. Continue reading Tiles smudged at Ottawa high school Finished tiles
Click photo for a ten-image slideshow of finished tiles as decorated by students at Elizabeth Wyn Wood school in Ottawa.