Have you noticed all of the beautiful painted orange rocks scattered around the Invermere community? Are you curious about the words written on them?  As part of their focus on Truth and Reconciliation, students at J. Alfred Laird Elementary have been painting orange rocks and adding words in Secwepemctsín, the traditional language spoken by Secwépemc people, including our local Shuswap Band.

Acts of colonization resulted in the loss of traditional language for many First Nations. Students at J. Alfred Laird have been introduced to basic Secwepemctsín words each morning during morning announcements. In addition, Shuswap elder Diana Cote has been working with classes to build their Secwepemctsín vocabulary. It is our hope that this simple activity will help to build awareness of this local language throughout our community, as the Shuswap Band relearns their native language and forms deeper connections with the land and culture. This activity, as well as others, is in support of our School Success Plan goal to improve student outcomes across all domains (academic, social-emotional, spiritual and physical) by furthering our school's collective journey toward Truth and Reconciliation.