Mitchell students amplify voices of marginalized people and animals

Mitchell elementary’s Grade 4/5 class has raised their collective voice for marginalized people who have lost their own voices (or have never been afforded one) across the country.

A major component of the Be a Voice project saw students study the impact of residential schools on Canada’s Indigenous communities and the lasting negative effects they have had on families, said principal Christine Marin.

The students also studied other ways in which people, and animals, may lose their voice. In turn, they discovered ways in which they, from a position of privilege, could be a voice for others who do not have a voice.

For instance, on Tuesday, students cheered on their Grade 5 friend Jake Olmstead-Wilcox, who decided to shave his head in the name of cancer victims, following the death of his Uncle Bob.

“My hope is to find a cure for cancer. When people go through chemotherapy they lose their hair. I’m cutting my hair to raise the voice of those who lost their hair to cancer,” Jake told his class, before shaving his head and handing over a $1,515 cheque to the Canadian Cancer Society, from money he fundraised this year.

Mom Anne-Marie Olmstead-Wilcox shaved her son’s head and dad Stuart Olmstead-Wilcox filmed the process as teachers and Marin cheered on Jake, with his classmates.

“We’re so proud of him. His uncle meant a lot to him. …When people would say ‘Bob’s your Uncle’ he’d always laugh and say ‘Bob is my uncle!’” said Anne-Marie.

Marin said Mitchell is a diverse school with 27 mother tongues spoken at homes of many new immigrant families.

Those families can often have no voice in the community, she said, which is why Anita Lau’s Grade 4/5 class recently held a Day of Silence, where no one spoke.

“It’s a privilege to have a voice,” said Marin.

Another event saw parents come to the school’s library to become “living library books,” by sharing stories and family artefacts at different tables.

The class also adopted a narwhal whale, via the World Wildlife Fund, by having each student donate $2. Meanwhile, students Aniya and Amy planted a garden for the bees. And, some girls focused on women’s rights and bullying prevention.