Overnight rain and wet trails en route did not dampen the spirits of the 100 Chilcotin Road Elementary Students who participated in a walk to school Orange Shirt Day events, Sept. 28.
Teachers, staff and parents, accompanied four intermediate classes of students, who were headed to the Williams Lake Stampede Grounds for a gathering of School District 27 students taking part in Orange Shirt Day activities.
The idea for the walk began with Principal Gregg Gaylord, who thought the outdoor adventure would be in keeping with Indigenous principles in the spirit of Orange Shirt Day.
“They were in tune with their surroundings and nature, it was awesome,” he said, after returning to the school. He said parents were very supportive of the idea, and he was happy with the result.
“It couldn’t have turned out better,” he said.
He said students drew a lot of positive attention along the route from drivers and people in their yards as they passed through Westridge and observed different things along the way.
A hawk, a few deer and other animal sign were all spotted by students over the hour and a half it took them to cover the approximately five kilometres.
The route began by connecting directly from the school to the Westridge subdivision thanks to the trail work done last fall initiated by the Chilcotin Road PAC and led by Jane Wellburn, who joined on the walk to help out. Students were able to stay away from the highway the entire time, and learned a new route to town most had never taken before.
The energy amongst the students was positive, and the students were excited to get to participate in the adventure and what looked like a beautiful fall outing.
READ MORE: Chilcotin Road students build trail, opportunities in school’s backyard
READ MORE: Chilcotin Road Elementary installs active travel-themed mural
Don’t miss out on reading the latest local, provincial and national news offered at the Williams LakeTribune. Sign up for our free newsletter here.