While many share the love with partners, pets, friends, and families for Valentine's Day, students at Shortreed Community Elementary are continuing a different tradition of Have A Heart Day – both of which overlap on Feb. 14.
The purpose is to raise awareness of the inequity of funding between public schools and schools on First Nations reserves across Canada.
It is a youth-led movement founded by Shannen Koostachin of the Attawapiskat First Nation in Ontario. Her school on the reserve was made inhabitable by a fuel leak in 1979, and by the time she attended the school in the early 2000s, Koostachin and her classmates were learning in make shift portables because they hadn't yet received a new school.
She began writing letters to the federal government and organizing rallies to raise awareness of the learning conditions on the reserve and inequity of funding.
Tragically, Koostachin was killed in a car accident just before her 16th birthday when she was attending school 600 km away from her reservation. Her movement lived on though through others who continue to spread awareness.
Each year, Shortreed teacher Brianna Parsons teaches her Grade 5 class about the youth-led movement.
"The students have done an amazing job writing about what Have A Heart Day is, and have also created presentations to share with younger classrooms around the school," she told The Star.
In her letter, Grade 5 student Ryu encourages people to write letters to the government in support of equal funding for schools on and off the reserve.
"No kid should beg for a new school. It is unfair that some kids get better education than others. We as a community should take action to spread awareness [through] a poem, song, letter... and talk to your friends and family about Have A Heart Day," he wrote.
Olivia echoed the sentiment and acknowledged that Koostachin's goal was to have Indigenous children receive the same educational environments that public schools have.
Their classmate Ryleigh added that today "we still talk about [Koostachin's] dream to spread awareness, we hope you do the same."
Parsons commended her students' work.
"The kids have worked hard and are very passionate about spreading the word as part of their journey of reconciliation and for [Koostachin's] dream to come true," she said.
The Have A Heart Day artwork used for the class was designed by Ryleigh's Tsnii (Grandfather), William Bedard, a Haida artist.
