Surrey Schools celebrates Pride with youth dance, poster contest and more!

June 14, 2022

June is Pride Month, and all month long, the district has been celebrating with numerous LGBTQ2+ initiatives leading up to the Surrey Pride Festival on Saturday, June 25.

Pride Month is an important time for LGBTQ2+ students and staff, acknowledging their struggles and promoting an inclusive and welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds, identities and orientations.

“It’s about taking the time to recognize that we are all valid in our identities and we all deserve the right to be safe and be ourselves in whatever space we’re in, at work, at school, in public,” said SOGI helping teacher Nicole Curtis. “For some people, it’s about celebrating being alive and the expression of who they are, and having chosen family or biological family in their lives who can celebrate with them.”

Pride Poster Contest

This year, Curtis ran a pride poster contest in collaboration with the district’s Library Learning Commons teacher-librarians, encouraging elementary and secondary students to design posters based on LGBTQ2+ books, authors and characters that spoke to them. The teacher-librarians submitted 60 entries, narrowed down to eight elementary winners and six secondary winners:

Elementary Winners

Katie C., Kindergarten, Martha Currie Elementary – Red
Charlotte C. & Caitlyn S., Grade 3, Peace Arch Elementary – My Princess Boy
Emery D., Grade 5, Katzie Elementary – My Shadow is Pink
Mia G., Grade 6, Mary Jane Shannon Elementary – Be Who You Are!
Tarandip, Sienna, Gargi, Natasha, Jaskirat, Amani, Saathuri & Kiren, Grades 5 & 6, David Brankin Elementary – Pride Puppy
Sehajdeep D., Grade 5, Cloverdale Traditional Elementary – Pride Going Viral
Sydney S., Grade 6, Surrey Centre Elementary – I Am Jazz
Lily M., Grade 7, George Greenaway Elementary – Where there is life, there is love

Secondary Winners

Hooria, Grade 8, Enver Creek Secondary – Drama
Noah V., École Salish Secondary – Heartstopper
Nabeela H., Grade 11, Panorama Ridge Secondary – Alice Oseman
Xaviery R., Grade 12, Kwantlen Park Secondary – The Song of Achilles
Zoe C., Grade 12, Enver Creek Secondary – One Last Stop
Celine C., Grade 12, Enver Creek Secondary – Good Omens

“I’m always impressed with the amount of enthusiastic participation from students and staff,” said Curtis. “There were lots of kids who very clearly knew and cared and were invested.

“Last year, some of the schools actually framed their posters and put them in high-traffic areas of the school. It seems like a small thing but it has a big impact. We’ve heard from parents about the visual indicators of inclusion, saying, ‘This is really important and we feel like we belong here.’”

Youth Pride Dance

The district has also partnered with the City of Surrey and Youth for a Change for the Youth Pride Dance, an opportunity for youth age 13-18 to have fun and express themselves.

Previously called Pride Prom, the Youth Pride Dance will be hosted at the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre (13458 107A Ave.) on Friday, June 17 from 7-9 p.m. For many LGBTQ2+ youth, this is their first time attending a youth dance as many were on hold due to the pandemic.

“A lot of them haven’t ever had an opportunity to go to a school dance,” said Curtis. “For some, their Grade 7 dances didn’t happen, they’re now in secondary and haven’t had a secondary dance, they have absolutely no clue what to expect. It’s going to be a big party.”

In the spirit of inclusivity, Curtis notes youth don’t have to identify as LGBTQ2+ to attend. Any youth 13-18 may show support and participate in the dance’s activities. The dance is free and youth can register online, by phone at 604-501-5100 or in person at any City of Surrey recreation facility.

SOGI on PSST

The Protecting Surrey Schools Together (PSST) website, managed by the district’s Safe Schools department, has updated some of its pages to include more SOGI resources and information relating to issues of bullying, harassment and discrimination.

“They added in definitions for gender identity, sexual orientation, gender expression and sex assigned at birth,” said Curtis. “They also put definitions in for what students can expect from a SOGI-inclusive school, so having access to facilities, being able to participate on sports teams, inclusive language, lack of discrimination, safe spaces.

“Safe Schools is really invested in SOGI and making safe spaces. It’s pretty cool to have them on board.”

Surrey Pride Festival and the Vancouver Pride Parade

In addition to the Surrey Pride Festival, this year marks the first time the district is participating in-person in the Vancouver Pride Parade, taking place in downtown Vancouver on July 31.

“We have about 20 staff members signed up who are both marching and hosting a booth,” said Curtis. “We have treats and bracelets to hand out and they’ll be representing the district, letting people know that we’re here and we’re supportive.”

L.A. Matheson Secondary teacher Annie Ohana, who leads the school’s Mustang Justice club and has received awards for her social justice and antiracism activism, is one of this year’s Grand Marshals of the parade.

The Surrey Pride Festival will take place in Central City Plaza on Saturday, June 25, from 4 to 9 p.m.

For more information on both events, visit surreypride.ca and vancouverpride.ca