Edmonton elementary school creates mural to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day
In celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day, students from an elementary school in north Edmonton are working on a mural.
Classmates from St. Gerard Catholic Elementary School took the day to create and paint artwork on the Yellowhead wall with Indigenous symbols, recognizing First Nations, Métis and Inuit cultures.
“The importance behind every single one of them is to recognize every group,” Michelle St. Jean, a Grade 5 and 6 teacher at St. Gerard, said.
“We want Indigenous peoples to feel important, and today is really important for them to be recognized.”
The City of Edmonton approached the school to take part in the project a while back. After some discussions, the schools faculty collectively decided the best day to execute the project would be on the national day.
“The walls coming down and the kids wanted to commemorate National Indigenous Peoples Day with a little bit of different art,” St. Jean, added.
Following the discovery of the unmarked graves of 215 children at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., Nadine Gunther, the principal of St. Gerard, said every teacher at the school took the time to tell their class what had happened and the history behind it.
“They are well aware of why we are doing this, and the importance of why we’re doing this,” Gunther commented.
“In order for them to do this, they think it’s quite an honour.”
National Indigenous Peoples Day was first celebrated in 1996.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.