‘A whole school of children lost’: Catholic schools respond with grief, compassion

Black shoes with orange paper messages line the hallways of St. Bernadette’s Elementary in Surrey.

“I care for you,” is written on one. “I love you. Jesus cares for you,” says another.

Principal Michael van der Pauw said the messages were written on heart-shaped and teddy bear cutouts by students aged 5 to 12 as a tribute to the 215 children whose remains were recently discovered on the site of a former Residential School in Kamloops.

“The students, the older ones have lots of questions, and a lot of questions I can’t answer. It’s a process. For us too, as adults, the staff is trying to process it in real time along with students. The younger ones just know that children have died and that we need to pray for them,” he said.

When the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc Nation issued a news release about the discovery of an unmarked grave in Kamloops, van der Pauw was shocked. His school currently has 216 students – only one more than the number of the bodies buried in Kamloops.

“That’s a whole school for us of children lost. That hit me hard,” he said.

A First Nations elder gave them the idea to display the shoes and orange messages.

At St. Bernadette’s, relationships with First Nations have been an ongoing discussion. The school celebrates Orange Shirt Day and National Indigenous Peoples Day each year and has invited elders to speak to students. 

When the news about the Kamloops discovery hit, he said teachers were able to tap into knowledge and language their students were already familiar with.

“I don’t want it to be a one-day thing. I want it to be something that we reflect on for a period of time. It’s an ongoing conversation. This is something, especially as a Catholic school, that we need to look at what do we learn from. How do we go from here?”

 Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese superintendent Deacon Henk Luyten invited educators to lower school flags to half-mast, observe a period of silence, and invite students to wear orange.

He also sent a statement calling the recent discovery “painful and deeply disturbing.”

“There are no words that can adequately express the sorrow and deep suffering our Indigenous communities are experiencing now. The members of the CISVA extend our deepest sympathy and regret to all who have suffered the consequences of residential schooling - those who are survivors and those who did not return home.”

He said all administrators, educators, and staff must learn about the experiences of First Nations people and continue to integrate it into the curriculum. “We recognize and are reminded at this time that we need to heighten our awareness of our local Indigenous Peoples’ story and support initiatives that give rise to peace, healing, and justice.”

A memorial to the former St. Paul’s Indian Residential School in North Vancouver stands on the property of St. Thomas Aquinas Regional Secondary. The memorial – built in collaboration with First Nations people, Catholics, and city officials – contains the names of 600 students who attended the Residential School, which was torn down in 1959.

While it’s not known to be the site of an unmarked grave, the memorial has become a gathering place for many who are grieving and trying to comprehend what went on at the school in Kamloops.

Students at the Catholic high school, as well as from nearby public schools, have taken field trips to the site this week to talk about Residential Schools and their legacy. First Nations groups and individuals passing by have left flowers, shoes, and teddy bears in remembrance.

Inside the Grade 3 classroom at Corpus Christi Elementary in Vancouver, a bulletin board is filled with 215 paper feathers in memory of the lost lives.

Teacher Charlotte D’Alessandro said students have found hope in this time of sadness through education and prayer.

“We prayed for the 215 children. For their families. For the community. Together, my students and I will continue to learn, discuss, and remember, and we will continue to pray,” she said.

“In our sadness, we have found hope in learning from our past. We will continue to walk together, with Jesus, our living hope.”

Many Catholic schools are flying flags at half-mast and encouraging students to wear orange in place of their regular uniforms this week.

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