Orange Shirt Day

ORANGE SHIRT DAY:  October 2, 2019 at Nellie McClung P.S.

The orange shirt day movement started in 2013 to highlight the pain and suffering of thousands of Indigenous children who were sent to residential school throughout the last century. The colour of the shirt is connected to the experience of Phyllis Webstad who was sent to Cariboo Residential School near Williams Lake, BC, in 1973.

Six-years old at the time, Phyllis went to her first day of school wearing a new, bright orange shirt. New clothes were a rare thing for the young girl, who was being raised by her grandmother. However, upon arriving at the school, the nuns stripped her of the shirt, forcing her to wear the school’s institutional uniform.

Ms. Webstad has felt the impact of that event long after it occurred, “That feeling of worthlessness and insignificance, ingrained in me from my first day at the mission, affected the way I lived my life for many years. Even now, when I know nothing could be further than the truth, I still sometimes feel that I don’t matter.”

The orange shirt has since gone on to become a symbol of a national movement that recognizes the suffering of Indigenous children at residential schools across the country and to show a renewed commitment to ensure that every child matters.

Recognize the resiliency and bravery of Residential School Survivors by wearing something orange (e.g., shirt, ribbon or anything orange) on October 2nd!

Note:  Orange Shirt Day is officially September 30, 2019, but we will be honouring it on October 2, 2019 to avoid overlap with significant faith days.