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Branksome Hall

Walk for Wenjack 2024: A Day of Unity and Learning

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A group of children sit on purple mats outdoors, facing a woman who is speaking to them near a bench. Most of the children wear orange shirts, and the scene is shaded by trees and surrounded by greenery.
Students listen to a story read by Dr. Mira Gambhir, Head, Research and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

On September 27, 2024, the Branksome community came together through a heartfelt community-wide Walk for Wenjack to honour the memory of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Anishinaabe boy who died after running away from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School near Kenora, Ontario in 1966. Participants included parents, students from JK to Grade 12, and employees from every department and division, all united in a powerful show of solidarity and commitment to learning and reconciliation.

Branksome Hall has been a Downie Wenjack Legacy School since 2020. The Downie Wenjack Foundation works across Canada to engage, empower and connect students and educators in furthering reconciliation through awareness, education and reconciliACTION. This year, all students as well as employees and parents participated in our fourth annual Walk for Wenjack, cumulatively walking the 600 kilometres that Chanie was unable to do himself to reach his family, an experiential activity to reflect on and learn about the history of residential schools.

A group of people, including children and adults, walk in a long line along a sidewalk bordered by trees. Many are wearing orange shirts, and the atmosphere appears calm and organized.
Senior and Middle School students on their walk.
Four young girls stand and walk in a grassy, sunlit park. Two girls are reading a display board placed on the ground, while the other two walk nearby under the shade of trees.
Grade 5 students reflect while on their walk.

The same week, students from Grades 4–12 attended a special Assembly where they heard from Sandra Laronde, Founder and Artistic Director of Red Sky Performance, a leading company of contemporary Indigenous performance. This assembly was part of our multi-year creative partnership with Red Sky, enriching our students’ understanding of Indigenous knowledge, storytelling and innovation in the Arts.

Sandra Laronde spoke to the community about her personal experience and journey writing her book, She Holds Up the Stars. The story is about a young Indigenous girl searching for a sense of home and finding strength and courage in the gifts she has. The audience was visibly moved by her emotional reading of this powerful story of reconciliation and the interwoven threads that tie us to family, the land, each other and our own sense of self.

On September 30, Branksome further honoured the legacy of residential school survivors by wearing orange shirts to mark Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day inspired by the story of residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad.

A group of children and a few adults stand outdoors on a wooded path, gathered around a sign with text, appearing engaged and attentive. They are dressed in casual clothing and sneakers.
Grade 4 students learn about residential schools on the walk.
Four young girls sit on a sidewalk outdoors, surrounded by trees, drawing with colored pencils on paper. They wear orange shirts and focus on their art, with supplies scattered around them.
Junior School students colour feathers and think about what truth and reconciliation means to them.
Three young girls stand by a wall, looking at and pointing to a purple poster with two photos of groups of people. The girls appear engaged and are discussing the images on the poster.
Students discuss the parallels and differences between their lives and residential school survivors and victims.
A woman and a girl read an informational sign along a wooded trail, while a group of people in colorful shirts walk ahead under trees. Sunlight filters through the leaves, creating dappled light on the path.
Senior and Middle School students reflect on truth and reconciliation on their walk.

As we move forward, we will carry the spirit of these gatherings with us, fostering an environment of understanding and respect for all. Thank you to everyone who contributed to these meaningful events.

Address

Branksome Hall
10 Elm Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada
M4W 1N4

Contact

1-416-920-9741
admissions@branksome.on.ca

Land Acknowledgement
We wish to acknowledge this land on which Branksome operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Wendat, the Seneca and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and go to school on this land.*


*The Land Acknowledgement may evolve as we honour our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation in partnership with Indigenous communities.

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