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Letters to Attawapiskat, with love from WOSS by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff 5 | Friday, May 20, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Students at White Oaks Secondary School (WOSS) want the people of Attawapiskat to know they are not alone. To that end, students at the north Oakville high school have been writing letters -- and drawing pictures -- to express words of encouragement and show their support for the Attawapiskat community after it declared a state of emergency recently in response to a spike in youth suicide attempts. The northern Ontario First Nations reserve of about 2,000 people has seen more than 100 suicide attempts since last September and has been making headlines as people from that community came forward to share the challenges they face -- everything from housing to access to social services. White Oaks English teacher Jennifer Hartford said she was inspired to approach her Grade 9 students to do something to show their support after she saw a post on Instagram that encouraged people to have their voice heard and to mobilize their community to help those in Attawapiskat. Thinking it would tie in nicely with their recent study of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Hartford said it was a great opportunity to get students not only discussing inequality, but taking action Cole Brennand Jennifer Hartford Students at White Oaks Secondary School (WOSS) want the people of Attawapiskat to know they are not alone, so they have been involved in a letter-writing campaign to share the sentiment. | photos by Julia Le ­ Oakville Beaver against it. She said To Kill a Mockingbird deals with discrimination, prejudice, racism, sexism and under-representation -- things that still exist today, although on a lesser scale. Noting Canada is currently dealing with an indigenous population crisis, the teacher said it's truly a disservice the people are being under-represented. "We need to do something," she said. All four of her classes were receptive to the idea, and began writing letters to share their thoughts with the Attawapiskat community. Grade 9 student Cole Brennand admitted although he had not been aware of the community's plight, he wanted to at least try to do something to help encourage the community to have its voice heard. Together with Mat Hill, Eric Pearson and Yahya Abdullah, they wrote a letter to acknowledge the challenges the people of Attawapiskat are facing and the students would do what they could to let others know of the difficult situation. Brennand admitted it's the first time he's done anything like this, describing himself as a shy person. He says it's a small gesture he and about 90 other students are participating in, but one he hopes will make an impact. "I'm hoping it will lead to something greater," he said. Hartford said she is proud of her students, who are demonstrating their empathy and compassion. "It's like I'm watching this community develop in my classroom and being able to see that, and how much they care for a group they've never met, is truly remarkable," she said. AIRPORT OAKVILLE'S LOWEST RATES!! Thinking of Retiring... Someday? Let's Talk. Visit our website to sign up for a free consultation. Peter Watson MBA, CFP, R.F.P., CIM, FCSI Jennifer Watson B.A. 220 Randall Street, Downtown Oakville 905-842-2100 peterwatsoninvestments.com