W.A. Fraser Middle Hosts Community Art Project to Honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

On May 5 and 6, 2025, students, staff, families, and community members gathered at W.A. Fraser Middle School for a powerful two-day art initiative honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). In collaboration with community partners, the team at W.A Fraser wanted to bring awareness to everyone about the current crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Indigenous women make up 16% of all homicide victims as well as 11% of missing women despite Indigenous women constituting 4.3% of the Canadian population (Assembly of First Nations, 2025).

The event brought together generations to reflect, learn, and participate in a meaningful community art project highlighting the ongoing crisis affecting Indigenous women and girls across Canada. With guidance from Indigenous educators and knowledge keepers, participants helped paint a wooden hummingbird, which will be displayed on the school's fence in June. The hummingbird—chosen for its symbolism of resilience, hope, and remembrance—represents the Indigenous women and girls whose lives have been lost or remain missing.

At the Abbotsford School District, we promote academic excellence while facilitating meaningful connections and fostering compassion among our students. William A. Fraser Middle School's event demonstrated this by utilizing the learnings from extensive research indicating that enhancing family engagement is essential for supporting youth to navigate their middle school experience and achieve success in their future pursuits.

District leaders, including Board Chair Shirley Wilson, Trustee Rupi Kanda-Rajwan, Superintendent Sean Nosek, and Deputy Superintendent Nathan Ngieng, joined the event alongside Mayor Ross Siemens and community partners from the Fire Department, Ambulance Services, Police Department, and Home Depot. Their presence underscored the District's ongoing commitment to Indigenous education and cultural inclusion.

W.A. Fraser Middle was one of several schools across the Abbotsford School District that marked the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls through various activities—each contributing to a shared message of remembrance and hope.