On June 16, the Norma Rose PAC (Parent Advisory Council) in collaboration with Norma Rose Point Elementary School hosted its first ever Pride Week Event and it was a huge success.
To kick off the week, the pride parade saw school communities dressed in rainbow colours to form the colours of the Pride Flag.
WeeBee the Drag Queen led the parade outside to an enthusiastic group of family members cheering their kids on. Music, bubbles, pride flags, and good vibes filled the air on this sunny afternoon.
Pride committee member Liz Reuter said she “had tears in my eyes”, a sentiment shared by other attendees. Event photographer Kyle Duske said, “This has got to be one of the biggest and best pride celebrations at any school in Vancouver.” Music provider DJ Scott said, “Just amazing … I wish we had this growing up”.
Event organizer and NRP PAC Co-Chair, Kar-Yee Yuen, said “NRP Pride Week was a way to celebrate the diversity and resilience of the 2SLGBTQ+ community of students, families, and educators and to renew our commitment to create safe and inclusive learning environments at NRP.”
“I organized a number of events this school year and this one felt extra special”.
The parade was then led into a gym assembly where the NRP dance teams performed to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” and WeeBee performed a dazzling story and dance routine.
Events took place in school throughout the entire week, including rainbow beading, comic book workshops, and an outdoor dance party featuring queer musicians.
Part of the learning elements of the event included an area showcasing 2SLGBTQ+ themed books and a display focused on the meaning of allyship.
Speaking on allyship, one pride committee member said it was “disheartening to hear that a number of parents chose to keep their kids home from the Pride event. We hope in the future this will change as this is meant to be an inclusive environment where we all have an opportunity to learn and to show our children that we will love them no matter who they love and who they become — at least, that’s the hope. Regardless, we had an amazing event”.
Yuen added: “Representation is key and we had an incredible team of instructors who hosted queer-led karate workshops and queer-led dance workshops throughout the entire Pride week. Over 700+ NRP students took part in these workshops, connecting students to the local queer community in meaningful ways.”
Sabrina Symington, Karate workshop leader and published comic book artist of the series “Life of Bria” said, “I talk to kids about how Karate was a way for me to express myself and helped me get through a time when I was struggling with my gender identity. At the end of the day, a kid might not like Karate but hopefully they have learned it’s OK to be themselves.”
Brynne Harper, a queer dance artist and youth educator said, “There is power in talking and teaching about identity, belonging and community. It was the first time I was able to take that to a learning environment in that capacity and it was a wonderful experience.”
A dedicated team of 25 volunteers including educators, parents, grandparents, student leaders and allies helped make this event possible. The event was supported by our generous sponsors including TD Bank, VanCity, RBC, Urban Fare, Rain or Shine, Kidsbooks and London Drugs.
“You have to do this again next year” said Ms. Jackson, NRP Music teacher. We got you and we can’t wait to see you all again next year.
KAR-YEE YUEN IS A CAMPUS RESIDENT AND CO-CHAIR OF THE NORMA ROSE POINT PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL (PAC).