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The Ram Reminder | October 5 - 9, 2026

Last week at Central Memorial High School, we had the opportunity to engage in intentional work around our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. While Orange Shirt Day provided an important opportunity to pause, remember, learn, and reflect, our commitment to this work extends far beyond one day or one week in September.

Orange Shirt Day was created to honour survivors, recognize the truth of residential schools, and keep the work of reconciliation visible. More than 150,000 Indigenous children were removed from their families and communities and forced to attend residential schools, and at least 6,100 children died. These are difficult truths, but if we want truth to lead to reconciliation, we must be willing to learn the whole truth, and we must continue to talk about it.

At CMHS, educators work with students to examine Indigenous histories, worldviews, and the lived experiences of colonization in ways that build empathy, critical thinking, and meaningful understanding. Many of our students have personalized their land acknowledgements and developed a deeper understanding of the treaties that shape Alberta, helping them connect our national history to the local land and relationships in which we live. Through classroom conversations, reflection, Indigenous knowledge and worldviews, and opportunities to listen and learn, we want our students to develop not only a deeper understanding of our shared history, but also the ability to think critically about the world around them and their own place within it.

Ultimately, this learning is about more than understanding the past. It is about considering how our understanding can shape the future. We want our students to recognize that reconciliation calls upon each of us to act with respect, responsibility, empathy, and courage. We want them to understand that learning about our history is not simply something we do at school - it is part of becoming informed and responsible citizens who understand the relationships and responsibilities that come with living on Treaty 7 territory.

As we recognized Orange Shirt Day last week, we were reminded to be proud of the Indigenous peoples who have cared for the land, waters, animals, and communities of this place since time immemorial. We honour survivors. We remember the children who never returned home. We listen to the truths that have been shared. And we continue learning from Indigenous voices, knowledge, experiences, and perspectives.

We cannot undo what has happened. But we can choose how we remember, what we learn, how we listen, and how we move forward. Our hope is that through education, reflection, and meaningful relationships, we can contribute to a future where the lessons of the past are understood and where such harms are never repeated.

• Together, we stand in truth.
• Together, we hold space for healing.
• Together, we continue the work of reconciliation.

And perhaps most importantly, we do this so that the next generation knows what happened, understands why it matters, and recognizes that each of us has a role to play in building a more respectful, compassionate, and just future.

Anne Kromm, Principal

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