The Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School community has taken on the challenge to commit to #ReconciliACTION by becoming the first school within the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board to be recognized as a Downie and Wenjack Legacy School.
The creation of the Downie and Wenjack Fund and the Legacy Schools Program was the wish of Gord Downie, late singer of the Tragically Hip. Downie dedicated his legacy to creating positive change in Canada, urging Canadians to look at the state of Indigenous-settler relations in the country.
His inspiration was the story of Chanie Wenjack, an Anishinaabe boy who at the age 12, after three years of abuses in a Residential School, ran away attempting to reunite with his family. Chanie's body was discovered near railway tracks; within a week he succumbed to starvation and exposure.
This tragic story, however, has become the pillar for hopeful programs like the Legacy School Initiative and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which continue to try to build a better, more inclusive Canada.
Under the leadership of Canadian and World Studies Department Head Michael DiFederico, the goal is to involve the entire Bishop Tonnos school community and improve the lives of Indigenous people through events that building awareness, education and connections between all Canadians.
"All of this is part of our commitment as a Downie and Wenjack Legacy School to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous peoples," said DiFederico.
To learn more about the Legacy School Program, please visit: https://downiewenjack.ca/our-work/legacy-s ...
For more information
90 Mulberry Street
Hamilton Ontario
Canada L8N 3R9
www.hwcdsb.ca
