“Back in Chile, we didn’t have this, especially at schools, so this is exciting. This is so new to me and it means so much to be able to see a pride flag flying at the school boards,” she said. “I can’t find the words but it’s so heartwarming, it’s inspirational.”
Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board was first raised the pride flag in 2019, becoming the first catholic school board to do so in Ontario, according to the board.
Grace Dorey, a student at Pope John Paul II School, says that she’s blown away by the strides that the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board has made toward inclusivity."It’s just crazy how much love and support we have now, and it’s how far we’ve made it with the catholic school board,” said Dorey. “Never when I was in Grade 6 did I think this was going to happen.”
Pino Tassone, director of education, Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board, says that he’s proud of the work toward inclusion that the board has made for its students.“I got very emotional today just listening to our students speak, and they talked about their journey and the support that they receive from us and knowing where they’re at and they feel welcomed and cared for when they come into our schools,” said Tassone. ”It makes us very proud of the school board.”Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate & Vocational Institute was the first high school in Thunder Bay to raise a pride flag and Ian MacRae, director of education, Lakehead Public School Board, says that he’s proud of the dedication that the board has put toward inclusion.“We were very fortunate to have in our midst a number of advocates for the initiative and certainly the chair of the board, Ellen Chambers has been a key factor in that,” said MacRae. “She has tirelessly promoted the cause but it really is an easy one for anyone that has any idea of what we’re dealing with in education today.”Jason Veltri, Rainbow Collective of Thunder Bay president says that providing support for students here is more important than ever in the age of social media as they are witnessing in many places a rollback of rights for 2SLGBTQIA individuals.“They’re seeing what’s happening in Florida and saying, well, could it happen here?” said Veltri. “So doing these flag raisings and speaking up and speaking out as students, means that we still remain vigilant to the risks involved that students and queer, trans, and two-spirit people face every day, that our rights could be rolled back and that we could be made second class citizens again.”