June 8th, 2016

The government of Canada forced Lila Bruyere to go to live at residential school as a child, and she shared some of her experience today with students in grades 5 to 8. She started with telling us that they didn’t use her name at school. They called her “Number 63.” After her story, she invited questions.

One student asked, “Did they hurt you?” She answered, “Yeah, they did.” Then she paused to collect herself before relating a story of corporal punishment, finishing with the words, “I still have scars.”

Another student asked, “If you could alter anything in your life, would you have not gone to residential school, because it made you who you are?” She responded with, “I don’t know. I think that I wanted to prove to them that they were wrong, so I strove to be a better person.”

Please talk with your child about today’s assembly.  They can share what they know and you can share what you know.