September 26th, 2018

On Friday Westmount P.S. along with many other schools will be encouraging staff and students to wear orange.

Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) recognizes Orange Shirt Day as a way to honour residential school survivors, those who did not survive, and their descendants. It’s just one of the ways we support, educate and reconcile our relationship with Indigenous people.

What is Orange Shirt Day?

Orange Shirt Day is observed each September 30 and was first launched in 2013. The origin of Orange Shirt Day is based on Phyllis Webstad’s story of entering an Indian Residential School in 1973 and having her new orange shirt removed from her and replaced with a school uniform. Her experience of having her orange shirt being taken from her is symbolic of all that was taken from Indigenous peoples as a result of Indian Residential Schools and is the reason we wear orange on September 30.