By: Rayed Khan and A. Gleeson

The Social Justice SHSM students at MDHS wanted to come up with a significant way to honour and bring attention to the over 1000 children whose uncovered and unmarked graves were discovered across Canada over the course of the summer of 2021. 

And they did exactly that, in a very powerful way. 

The popsicle sticks with orange ribbons represent the unmarked graves that were found on the grounds of former residential schools. Many administrators in these residential schools lied about the numbers of the children that had passed, and many families were not told what happened to their children. The alarming numbers of unmarked graves in these schools confirm that conditions in these schools were deplorable and horrific. 

The Social Justice SHSM students and several others from the Healthcare SHSM gathered before sunrise on Thursday, Sept. 30 to create this powerful art installation that symbolizes the lost children, and to show solidarity with our indigenous communities and the hardships they have endured. 

The hillside served as a reminder to everyone who saw it, sparking conversation, and causing many to pause, think, and consider the meaning and need for reconciliation.