215 Orange Resiliency Rocks & Blanket Flowers

Jun. 25, 2021


After the discovery of 215 children found buried on the site of a former Kamloops residential school, a Grade 5 student at Ramsay School used her voice to initiate a school-wide collection and painting of 215 orange rocks for our Resiliency Rock Garden.

Throughout the 2020-21 school year, our school-wide inquiry has been around the statement: “Say Something! The World Needs Your Voice," inspired by Peter Reynolds' text. We are proud of her leadership and care around the topic of residential school history and her demonstration of citizenship. There are now 215 pieces of beautiful rock art in our resiliency rock garden at Ramsay School, all painted by our Kindergarten – Grade 6 students.

The Grade 1/2 classes then planted blanket flowers outside and worked to create a mural with their teacher, Ms. Paradis. Blanket flowers are perennials and will be in their full glory in September, just in time for Orange Shirt Day. These students have learned that there are many ways to use your voice to take action.

At Ramsay, we are grateful to the community members, students and staff who have voiced their care and support and who have worn orange, in recognition of acknowledging the truths of the residential schools in Canada and a collective commitment to reconciliation. We also recognize the difficulty of this time for many families and staff throughout our system and community.