Wareham Public Schools Observes Orange Shirt Day to Honor Indigenous Children and Local Wampanoag Heritage

Wareham Public Schools students and staff participated in Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 30. (Photo Courtesy Wareham Public Schools)

WAREHAM — Students and staff across Wareham Public Schools wore orange on Wednesday, Sept. 30, to honor Indigenous children who were removed from their families and sent to residential and boarding schools, and to recognize the history and culture of the Wampanoag people.

The District participated in Orange Shirt Day at the encouragement of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s Tribal Education Department. The day carries the message “Every Child Matters” and recognizes the importance of Indigenous children’s culture, language and identity.

Wareham Elementary School, Wareham Middle School and Wareham High School shared information about the observation and encouraged students, staff and community members to participate.

Orange Shirt Day grew out of a 2013 residential school commemoration and reunion in Williams Lake, British Columbia.

Sept. 30 was the date chosen for Orange Shirt Day because it corresponds to the time of year when Indigenous children were historically taken from their homes and families and sent to Indian residential schools.

The orange shirt symbol comes from the experience of residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad.

The day honors Indigenous children affected by residential schools in Canada and federal Indian boarding schools in the United States.

The District also recognized that Wareham’s schools stand on the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Wampanoag Nation, the People of the First Light. Wampanoag people have maintained cultural, spiritual and historical ties to the lands and coastal waters of Southeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years.

“We want our students to know the history of the community they call home and understand why this day matters,” said Superintendent Dr. Amy Hartley-Matteson. “We’re grateful to the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s Tribal Education Department for asking us to take part. Seeing students and staff across our schools wear orange was a meaningful way to show our support for Indigenous children and families.”

Afterward, the Tribal Education Department thanked the District, saying the number of students and staff who wore orange meant a great deal to the Tribal community.

The Department also expressed interest in visiting the schools next year to teach students and staff more about Orange Shirt Day and its history.

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