At Southridge, our journey of Truth and Reconciliation is rooted in a commitment to listening, learning, and acting together as a community. Over the past several years, we have sought meaningful ways to acknowledge Indigenous histories, celebrate Indigenous voices, and take steps toward a future shaped by respect, understanding, and relationship building.

This work is ongoing and complex. It cannot be accomplished through a single event or gesture but requires the consistent engagement of many. Our assemblies, learning activities, and visual symbols around campus have helped bring awareness to our students and staff. We have also been fortunate to learn from Indigenous artists, educators, and Elders who continue to guide and inspire us.

This year we are launching the 2025/26 Truth and Reconciliation Action Team. Open to faculty, staff, and senior students, the team’s first initiative is a book club centered on David A. Robertson's 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing. Together, we will reflect on each of the actions in the book and assess what they mean in a K-12 school context. The conversations will help us identify where we are making progress, where we can grow, and how we can take meaningful and practical next steps. The team will continue to meet beyond the book club to carry forward this important work and to begin shaping a Truth and Reconciliation Action Plan for the years ahead.

For Southridge, this is not about adding more to an already full plate. It is about weaving Reconciliation into the daily life of our school, our curriculum, and our community interactions. It is about recognizing that we each have a role to play and that even small steps, when taken together, can move us forward.

We invite our broader community to learn alongside us. Reading Indigenous authors, attending cultural events, supporting Indigenous-led organizations, and engaging in thoughtful conversations with family and friends are all meaningful ways to take part. These actions extend beyond the walls of our school and speak to the kind of society we hope our students will help shape.

Truth and Reconciliation is not a destination but a path. At Southridge, we remain committed to walking this path with humility, openness, and care, knowing that reconciliation must always be lived in action.

Contributed by Darren Jones, Assistant Head of School - Community Engagement