CROWDS OF PEOPLE pass through the front hallway every day, but how many stop to take a look at this beautiful memorial next to the entrance of the Large Gym?
This copper plaque was erected by Private “Joe” Waters of Branch 136 (Milton) of the Royal Canadian Legion and unveiled in April 1990 at Milton District High School.
It commemorates the 220 alumni of MDHS who served in the Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War and the Korean War.
Keep in mind, some of you are the same age as those alumni who fought in these wars.
Of the 220 names engraved on the plaque, 16 have stars next to them, denoting the fact that they “paid the supreme sacrifice” in giving their lives for our country.
Next time you walk through the front hallway, take a moment to stop by and pay your respects.
The first week of November has been recognized as Treaties Recognition Week in Ontario for the past four years. According to the provincial government, the purpose of the week is to “honour the importance of treaties … and help [Ontarians] learn more about treaty rights and relationships.”
Though treaties were understood to be mutual relationships, “Indigenous peoples were targeted by colonial policies designed to exploit, assimilate, and eradicate them” for hundreds of years.
It is also critical to acknowledge that though many of the treaties were signed centuries ago, the commitments within them “are just as valid today as they were then.”
Of the 46 treaties Ontario is governed upon, four are within the present-day boundaries of the Town of Milton.
Milton District High School itself is located within the 1806 Head of the Lakes Purchase, and the rest of Milton is covered by the 1792 Between the Lakes Purchase, 1795 Brant Tract, and 1818 Ajetance Purchase.
The land in which these treaties cover was inhabited by the Mississauagas at the time of their signing, and is the current territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
It is the hope of MDHS, the HDSB, and the Ontario government that through the acknowledgement of Treaties Recognition Week, a step towards reconciliation can be achieved.
