Students at a Catholic
students feel included in their school
Secondary School build
towards their goals of
Reconciliation and
uniting the community.
By Dante Casetta, Waterloo, Ontario
Resurrection Community Center minecraft prototype - by
Dante Casetta
In February of 2022, Dante
Casetta, Ethan Robinson, Nevaeh
Fahey-Brenneman, and Erika Leiher,
Grade 10 students at the Resurrection
Catholic Secondary School, designed an
inclusive space for Indigenous and Non-
Indigenous peoples. The space is located
in the town of Waterloo, Ontario. The
space is for Indigenous community
members where they would be able to
spend their time and build a sense of
community.
The four students are enrolled
in ILP (Innovative Learning Program), a
new program offered at their school that
focuses on building connections and
solving problems. The students in the
classroom were learning about
Indigenous culture and reconciliation by
looking at the many horrible things
Indigenous communities were put
through here in Canada, from
Residential Schools to the 60’s scoop.
With this curriculum students were
tasked by their teachers Claire Godkin
and Emma Rossi to in groups create a
community center at the school, that
would unite and make Indigenous
It will feature a spacious outdoor area
community “We thought this would be a
great project to get our students
thinking about reconciliation” - Claire
Godkin ILP teacher at Resurrection
Catholic Secondary School.
Dante and his group , Erika
Leiher, Ethan Robinson, and Nevaeh
Fahey-Brenneman worked hard on
creating different aspects and
characteristics that would make their
community center unique. They were
offered presentations and guidance from
many Indigenous figures such as S.P
Joseph Lyons an aboriginal book author,
Joyce Jonatahn WCDSB retired FNMI
consultant, and Stephen Jackson from
the Anishnabeg outreach center. The
four then proceeded to work in the game
minecraft, a videogame that is now
being incorporated into learning in
schools, to build a model of a
community center that would exemplify
their ideas and beliefs in the best way
possible. The school board caught a hold
of this assignment, and decided to check
out the community centers for
themselves.
The Waterloo Catholic School
Board decided to work alongside the
four students to build their version of the
community center to be located in the
school grounds besides the tennis courts,
as they thought this community center
would really fit the Resurrection
community, “A community center would
be really helpful in bringing more
Indigenous youth into the school, as it
would provide them with a deeper sense
of community.” - Marisa Monroe,
principal at Resurrection Catholic
Secondary School. The construction of
the center will begin in the fall of 2023.
where ceremonies and rituals can occur,
a sweat lodge that can be used by
anyone in the community, a growing and
harvesting center for Sage, Cedar,
Tobacco and Sweet Grass, the four
sacred plants. There will also include an
indoor area with various books about
Indigenous beliefs and heritage written
by Indigenous authors such as S.P
Joseph Lyons. There are desks and areas
in the indoor part of the center where
people can go to build connections,
share their stories and knowledge, or just
enjoy the space.
The center will be used so that
nearby Indigenous peoples can hold
ceremonies and festivals to celebrate
their culture and show their beliefs. The
center is also a place where people can
go to further develop their knowledge of
Indigenous culture, as well as being a
place where people can go to share their
stories and their culture, and build
connections to better connect themselves
with their community.
The community center will
really bring more Indigenous people into
the community, and probably into the
school as well. The center will be a great
spot for community members to further
develop their knowledge in aboriginal
customs. This community center is a big
step that the Catholic School Board is
taking towards reconciliation.