Students at Newmarket High School had an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Truth and Reconciliation by hearing firsthand from a residential school survivor.
Several classes participated in a screening of Return to the Falls, a documentary based on the life of Elder Betty Ross, a member of the Cree Nation and residential school survivor. The film shares Ross's experiences and highlights themes of resilience, culture and healing. The field trip included watching clips from the film and hearing from Elder Ross who attended the event.
“For a lot of my students, same as myself, this is the first time they ever had the opportunity to hear a survivor of the residential school system speak,” said Tatiana Chilova, Teacher, Newmarket High School.
Students viewed clips from the film and spent time the following day reflecting on and discussing what they had learned, including students in the Grade 11 Contemporary First Nations, Métis and Inuit Issues and Perspectives class.
“The work is important because it allows students to have a deeper and richer understanding of Canadian history from an Indigenous perspective,” said Jesse Feitler, First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Consultant with York Region District School Board. ” Reconciliation is work that we all need to participate in, and this opportunity allows students and educators to do that work.”
Hear more from Elder Betty Ross, students and the film’s director in this short video.