Schools in Winnipeg School Division seek alternatives to churches for grads, other events

Many Winnipeg students may see their graduation ceremonies and holiday concerts moved out of churches this school year as part of efforts by Manitoba's largest school division to be more inclusive.

Winnipeg School Division is asking its 79 schools to not hold their grad ceremonies in churches — and is encouraging schools to find alternative venues for performances and concerts — after some parents requested venues be changed.

"Some of our families will have … significant reservations about going into those buildings," Winnipeg School Division superintendent and CEO Matt Henderson said.

"It's all about ensuring that, to the greatest extent possible, every single person who's attending one of our schools' events feels comfortable and feels that they can participate."

Before last year's graduation ceremonies, some parents told their children's principals they weren't comfortable going to graduations in churches, Henderson told CBC.

"We did some fancy footwork last year to accommodate that because we fully understand why certain families wouldn't feel comfortable given the history of colonialism in this country," he said.

"Part of reconciliation is doing everything we can to ensure that our doors are wide open, particularly for Indigenous people."

There isn't an official school division policy on the issue, Henderson said.

This year, the division, which has more than 33,000 students, is helping larger schools like Kelvin High School, Sisler High School and Technical Vocational High School book alternative venues well ahead of 2024 grad events, Henderson said.

Churches like Calvary Temple and Portage Avenue Church have been the sites of some high school grad ceremonies in the past, according to the division's website.

"We're asking our schools to be flexible and to really think of their communities when they're organizing events," Henderson said.

Frank Deer, an education professor at the University of Manitoba who focuses on Indigenous language education and Indigenous religious and spiritual orientations in schools, said he's glad to hear the news.

He said it's important for schools to consider how they can move toward reconciliation.

"It's no surprise to me that this might be one of the next steps in the reconciliatory journey," he told CBC.

"After we've begun these conversations about the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis experience across the territories, you do get to a point where you begin to wonder about the manner in which we celebrate things and the way we observe things."

Henderson said the division will support some of the booking fees possibly incurred with larger venues for high school grads.

Those venues could be universities or the RBC Convention Centre, he said, while some kindergarten to Grade 8 schools could use the division's own spaces, like gyms or theatres.

The division will look at each venue on a case-by-case basis, Henderson added. 

"These events are really about bringing community into our schools and about celebrating student achievement and performance and creating communities. So as best as we can do that, we'll absolutely do that," he said.

Deer said the move reflects a broader shift in the way the public looks at Indigenous experiences.

"I immediately draw connections to some of the conversations that society has been having," he said.

Those conversations have led to renaming places with Indigenous-language words and the decision not to return Queen Victoria's statue to its former spot in front of the Manitoba Legislative Building after it was torn down by protesters.

"This is not the last we'll hear about changes of these sorts."