Tech Voc students organize Orange Shirt Day walk [Video]

This is the first year Technical Vocational High School had an Orange Shirt Day walk.

The school’s principal Garth McAlpine said students asked to do it this year to carry the message of the day outside the walls of the school.

“They are taking a leadership role in supporting the learning of others and sharing culture and celebrating their indigeneity,” he said.

While the walk is new, the week of learning is not.

Monday is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This year, it’s a provincial statutory holiday in Manitoba for the first time.

Since classes will be out, Orange Shirt Day was marked Friday at many Winnipeg schools, including Tec-Voc.

Being apart of the school’s drum circle is helping students Gage Bloomfield and Jesse Spence connect with their culture.

“I never really knew what smudging was until I came here or drumming, because up north, it’s it was kind …