Reflect on one of the class activities for the week. How did you feel while doing it, what did you learn from it, etc?

Friday’s Truth and Reconciliation day assembly was my favorite assembly at Riverside so far. I found it educational, captivating and different than any presentation I’ve ever seen before. I felt connected it because I have Métis ancestry. However, I haven’t learned very much about the culture because it’s only makes up a small percentage of my heritage and my dad and my grandmother don’t know very much about this part of their history either. It was amazing to watch and learn about something that I feel connected to. I learned about the Métis culture and the dances that have been passed on for generations. The Métis jig is the most prominent dance and they explained how it comes from a combination of First Nations, French-Canadian and Scottish people. In March, I volunteered at the Festival du Bois which is a French music festival in Maillardville. This year they had a special Métis village experience. I got to see some Métis jigging for the first time and I found it fascinating. I am happy that I got to experience it again at school, and learn about some of the history of it as well. As much as stories and oral teachings are important, I also think that this assembly was an incredibly good way of educating others on Métis culture because it was engaging and interesting. Teenagers especially, have a hard time staying focused but watching people dancing and learning from it, is a lot more captivating. Giving the students the chance to learn the dance with them was also a good way to help everyone feel more connected. Overall, this assembly was different that what I had been expecting but I enjoyed it thoroughly and I am happy that I got to experience the Métis jig.