The sound of hope and renewal: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Assembly

The sound of hope and renewal filled the Withrow Auditorium at the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Assembly, as 100 Junior and Senior Strings musicians dressed in orange shirts took the stage to play the world premiere of the composition, pinâskiw which in Northern Cree means ‘The Season of Falling Leaves,’ conducted by Music Teacher Sarah Shugarman with co-direction from Director of Music Lyris Pat. As the final notes came to an end, applause resounded throughout the auditorium, honouring the performers and the Indigenous composer, Cris Derksen, the UTS Composer-in-Residence, who joined the assembly in person. 

It was a powerful moment for our school community on a day of deep significance to our country. A Juno-nominated cellist and composer, Cris hails from Treaty 8 territory in Northern Alberta, with lineage from the North Tallcree Reserve on her father’s side and Mennonite homesteaders on her mother’s, and has been working with our students since 2023.
 

As part of the assembly, which was organized by our school’s Indigenous Solidarity Committee, Cris took part in a panel discussion led by S6 (grade 12) Emma, saying that her music is her way of sharing stories and ‘The Season of Falling Leaves’ is about her love for the renewal of the seasons and the energy that comes when the leaves start to fall and the air cools. The theme of renewal extends on a broader scale to our country, as Indigenous Canadians and Canadians work together to further Reconciliation. 

“Everyone has a story to tell,” said Cris. “We all come from such different backgrounds, and we have our own perspectives. Everyone's story is important. Some stories might be harder to listen to, but I think having the empathy to listen to the stories and to understand differences in each other and understand where we are coming from is super important.”

Music brings us all together into this room, she said. “I read somewhere that if you're all listening to the same thing, the heartbeats of the audience start to align together, reminding us that we're all the same inside. We all want to be loved. We all want to make people proud. We all want to be encouraged.” 

Earlier in the Assembly, students listened to recorded Residential School Survivor testimony from Chief Dr. Robert Joseph. Today, he is a hereditary chief of the Gwawaenuk First Nation in B.C. and a leading voice for Truth and Reconciliation in our country, but when he went to residential school, he was just a child, six years old, away from home for the first time. He described his fear arriving at the residential school and being herded into showers, being painted in white liquid and having his hair cropped off. He remembered being punished for waving at his sister, who also attended the school, and leaving the school many years later, “truly broken.” And he recalled the moment when the prime minister issued an apology to Residential School Survivors and the tears of joy he cried when he finally heard the words, “I’m sorry.”   

When the testimony finished, we all paused together for a minute of silent reflection as thousands of names of the children who died in residential schools scrolled on the auditorium screen. After the assembly, students reflected in their classrooms on the following questions: What have you done so far to work towards Reconciliation? What can you do that might be a stretch or challenge? What support and resources do you need, and what action would you want to take with others? 

In the class led by English Teacher James Campbell, staff supervisor of the Indigenous Solidarity Committee, students shared actions like:

“I would like to learn more about systemic issues. For example, right now, the government is just setting subsidies for funding for families with Indigenous children affected by child welfare policy.” 

“I want to properly read through the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and properly understand what the Indigenous community wants.”

“I want to learn more about modern cases where there is Indigenous persecution.” 

Mr. Campbell vowed to continue to volunteer to support the Grassy Narrows First Nation community in Northern Ontario with their campaigns for justice after decades of mercury poisoning in their river, one of Canada’s worst industrial disasters. 

“Today is about challenging ourselves to think about what we can do, what we are obligated to do, what we should do and what we must do,” said Principal Dr. Leanne Foster at the assembly, who shared that she feels a sense of responsibility as an individual, but also as principal of UTS, and works to support Call to Action 63 that asks educators and school systems to ensure students learn about Indigenous voices. This year, UTS introduced a new English course for M4 (grade 10) students called Understanding Contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Voice.

“Indigenous voices are important, and the learning through this course is rigorous,” said Dr. Foster. “It challenges us to raise ourselves up to a new level of understanding, and that is so incredibly aligned with UTS, our values and our commitment to the highest levels of learning. As we think about what it means to reconcile our past with our present and our future, I hope our students and members of our school community will begin to think of the small things we can do to further Reconciliation in our country.”