Students call for Sir John A. Macdonald School in northwest Calgary to be renamed

An art event was held Sunday by students calling for Sir John A. Macdonald School in northwest Calgary to be renamed.

"The school is just (east) of the Nose Hill Siksikaitsitapi Medicine Wheel, a monument that sits on traditional Blackfoot territory and holds spiritual and historical significance for the Blackfoot Confederacy," read a release from the Reconciliation Action Group.  

The event was spearheaded by Makena Halvorsen, a 13-year-old student at the junior high school, after 215 graves were found near a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.

Saying she wanted "to learn from history in order to not repeat it,” Halvorsen talked with her parents, who reached out to the Reconciliation Action Group.

She was then connected with youth leaders, Joy McCullagh and Zach and Seth Helfenbaum, who were part of the successful effort to rename Langevin School in Bridgeland.

Canada's first prime minister, Macdonald is also considered one of the architects of the residential school system in Canada.

“No Indigenous, Black, Chinese, or racialized students should have to attend a school with a name that is a constant reminder of such violence and abuse” said Halvorsen.

"Schools are supposed to be safe places to learn.”

The art event featured work from Adrian Stimson, titled Name Your Change – Change Your Name in the form of knitted number sevens "to acknowledge the traditional territories of the Treaty 7 signatory nations," read a release.

Calgary Board of Education issued a statement late Monday afternoon.

"As a system, we are working together every day to build positive and inclusive learning and work environments for everyone," the statement read in part.

"Supporting and enhancing the achievement and well-being of Indigenous students is in alignment with the CBE's Education Plan and is an important goal of the CBE.

"The CBE is committed to positive change. Our work in this area includes advancing CBE CARES: Collaboration for Anti-Racism and Equity Supports (CARES), the CBE's work with the Elder Advisory Council, and our system's commitment to truth and reconciliation and acknowledging the TRC calls to action.

"In June 2021, the CBE board of trustees revised its naming and renaming policy for CBE schools to align with the board’s values and commitment to promoting a welcoming, caring, safe, respectful and inclusive learning environment.  Our current board of trustees, elected in October 2021, intends to continue this work in a thoughtful way that reflects and considers community and student voice."

A Calgary Catholic School District school was also renamed Our Lady of the Rockies last year.