Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiatives
Coming this Fall:
"Raising Anti-Racist Children"
Parenting Book Club
Are you committed to building an antiracist family environment for your children?
Bellingham Schools Educational Coach Kirsten Jensen is partnering with the PTA to discuss the book “Raising Anti-Racist Children” by Britt Hawthorne. Grown Ups from Happy Valley and Alderwood Elementary are both invited to join. You can participate in the book club by joining an evening Zoom discussion in the fall or following discussion questions posted by Kirsten Jensen at your own pace.
The book closely aligns with ideas and themes taught at Happy Valley & Alderwood Elementary.
PAST EVENT:
Conversations with Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul, April 2024
Dr. Sonja Cherry-Paul, renowned educator and author of Stamped (For Kids) and Antiracist Reading Revolution, visited Happy Valley Elementary School on April 24, 2024.
Her visit was part of a series of events aimed at promoting anti-racist education and literacy. During her time at Happy Valley Elementary, Dr. Cherry-Paul engaged with students and staff, leading discussions focused on fostering inclusive and transformative learning environments.
This visit underscored Happy Valley PTA's commitment to creating a safe and welcoming environment where students are valued, respected, and empowered to be anti-racist.
PAST EVENT:
Orange Shirt Day
Monday, September 30, 2024
National Day for Trust and Reconciliation
Happy Valley PTA supports learning and teaching about Truth and Reconciliation or Orange Shirt Day each year, which aligns with the Since Time Immemorial Essential Questions, especially #4: What are ways in which Tribes respond to the threats and outside pressure to extinguish their cultures and independence?
To increase historical awareness and support community healing and justice, we helped support a community learning project. This project involved: learning and teaching about Coast Salish identities and cultures, teaching the history of boarding schools (Indian Residential Schools), as well as Indigenous resistance, and how students, staff and the community can contribute to healing and justice. Students were then invited to wear an orange shirt or something orange on Monday, Sept. 30th and each student had the opportunity to wear an orange bracelet, if they chose, after learning about this day, about truth and healing and our history.
We also welcome families to engage in learning about this day and our history by viewing the lessons for elementary level and/or continually building background knowledge with the resources below. We acknowledge that this topic may be challenging for some. We do our best to support all students in this learning, which is important because many of our community members and their families have lived or been impacted by the boarding school experience. Ultimately, this project is about healing and hope for the future. Please reach out if you have any questions or feedback. kirsten.jensen@bellinghamschools.org
At the elementary level, we center our learning around a highly acclaimed book that was written for ages 5-7: "My Powerful Hair" by Carole Lindstrom. Please see lessons above and more resources below. You can access the book in Epic.com or the Bellingham Public Library.
· Visit this Interactive Boarding School Map
· Learn about the impact of historical trauma
· Learn more about Lummi cultural resilience efforts and community education projects by Children of the Setting Sun Productions
· Exploring the Impact of Residential Schooling | Bellingham Public Library | BiblioCommons
PAST EVENT:
Jason LaClair Truth & Reconciliation Orange Shirt Sales Support
Orange Shirt Day (September 30th) was established as an observance in 2013, to promote awareness and education of the residential school system and the impact it has had on Indigenous communities for over a century. The residential school system has been recognized as a cultural genocide, and continues to this day. The use of an orange shirt as a symbol was inspired by the story of Phyllis Jack Webstad, whose personal clothing—including a new orange shirt—was taken from her during her first day of residential schooling, and never returned. The orange shirt is used as a symbol of the forced assimilation of Indigenous children that the residential school system enforced. The official tagline of the day, "Every Child Matters", reminds us that all peoples' cultural experiences are important.
Happy Valley PTA was honored to partner with Indigenous artist Jason LaClair to help produce and sell products featuring LaClair's Truth and Reconciliation hummingbird design. Proceeds of the shirt sales went to Children of the Setting Sun Productions and to support Jason LaClair's work.
Jason LaClair is a Coast Salish artist from the Lummi and Nooksack communities, who has worked extensively in the Bellingham Schools and within Happy Valley Elementary in particular as a teacher, woodcarver, painter, and muralist. Mr. LaClair has been practicing Northern Formline Art and Coast Salish Styles for more than 25 years. In 2021, he collaborated with local artist Gretchen Leggitt to create the public installation of the “Salmon Run” mural for the City of Bellingham. In addition, he was the artist of the “One from the Heart” mural in Ferndale. Other murals decorate the Boardmill Building in the Port of Bellingham’s central waterfront redevelopment. Mr. LaClair's drive comes from the need to share the art of his ancestors with his People and the Whatcom Community as a whole. He says he loves what he does and that his career is the best way to express himself.
PAST EVENT:
Since Time Immemorial Community Event
Happy Valley PTA was proud to be a co-founder of the first Since Time Immemorial Community Event in 2023, held at Happy Valley Elementary. The event has grown to become a District and Community-Wide event, held at larger venues across the city in the following years.
