National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

At the Middle and Senior School assembly this week, students heard from Mr. Brent Johnston, Executive Director of Advancement, about his personal journey as an Indigenous person and the impact of Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Last year, Mr. Johnston shared via Zoom that he is Mohawk, from the Kanesatake Territory near Oka, Quebec, for the first time publicly at CDS. Like so many, he had chosen not to share his story beyond close friends for fear of racism. However, as he told students Monday, he is proud of what CDS has accomplished with regard to educating our students about the impact of residential schools and knows that we will need to continue to work hard on sharing and educating our community about this emotional issue.
 
He said that while speaking in-person was a lot harder than sharing his story in front of a screen, being part of this close-knit community has allowed him to feel comfortable talking about his Indigenous background and personal experience publicly. Members of the Social Justice Club followed up his talk with questions including whether he has personally confronted racism. Mr. Johnston shared that just this summer in 2022 he was confronted with overtly racist statements, so the challenge of reconciliation persists.
 
According to Mr. Downer, a social science teacher in the Senior School, this presentation continued to resonate with his students in the classroom. “In my classes this week, students have regularly referred to what Mr. Johnston said, particularly Grade 10 History,” he said. “We were examining the discriminatory aspects of the 'Indian Act' and when they saw that Indigenous women lost their status if they married non-Indigenous men, they immediately made the connection to Mr. Johnston's story about his mother. They also made connections with the assimilationist policies that resulted in many families like Mr. Johnston's to hide or downplay their Indigenous heritage.”
 
In recent years, CDS has worked hard to incorporate more Indigenous history and culture into the curriculum. Books like Indian Horse and The Secret Path have long been assigned reading (JS and MS/SS book suggestions in story below). And in 2017, our Senior School drama students put forth four spectacular performances of our original theatrical production of Ahead by a Century inspired by the words and music of the late Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip, and written and directed by the CDS cast and directing faculty. CDS is proud to share that other Canadian schools are now producing this play (in whole or in part) in recognition of Orange Shirt Day.  
 
“Every Indigenous person’s story is unique, so having our community listen to more stories is an important step towards learning and exploring what more they can do,” says Mr. Johnston.
 
We hope that our faculty, staff and students will wear an Orange Shirt tomorrow so that we can continue our journey of reconciliation with our Indigenous peoples.
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Land Acknowledgment

CDS wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. For thousands of years, these have been the traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We also recognize the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee peoples who also shared this land.  CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for these lands and waters for future generations.

School Information

13415 Dufferin Street King, Ontario L7B 1K5 
(905) 833-1220 

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Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.