The Courtenay Elementary PAC and CECSS knew they wanted to do something for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation but were unsure what that would look like. They ultimately came together to honor the Indigenous community by painting orange hearts on the front windows of the school and presenting a beautiful cedar planter bench donated to the staff and students of Courtenay Elementary.
The bench is the work of Justin Hallworth. He asked Effrey Webber, a descendant of the Musgwamagw Dzawada’enuxw First Nation, to paint an orca on one of the benches garden boxes. The cedar for the bench and boxes came from Comox Valley Timber Splitting and Dustin Evans. When Justin learned the bench was for Courtenay Elementary, he generously donated it to the school. He delivered the bench to the school earlier in the week where principal Albert Johnson presented Justin with a certificate recognizing his “outstanding generosity and community spirit.”
The bench was taken into the school where Holly Douglas invited students to add their hand prints to the bench. Shawn Thir, executive director of CECSS, then revealed the bench to the staff and students of Courtenay Elementary at a school assembly. The bench will be given a weatherproof coating to protect the hand prints and then placed in front of the school. We hope it becomes a spot that brings people together to learn more about Orange Shirt Day and listen and learn about the meaning of truth and reconciliation.
Courtenay Elementary School and the Courtenay Elementary Community School Society are extremely grateful for the talents and generosity of Justin Hallworth, Effrey Webber, and Comox Valley Timber Splitting and Dustin Evans that went into making the bench. A special shout out goes to the PAC members who donated their time to paint the school’s windows.