Calgary's Bishop Grandin school changes name due to namesake's support of residential schools

The Calgary Catholic School District's board of trustees voted Wednesday in favour of changing the name of Bishop Grandin High School to Our Lady of the Rockies School.

In June, the board voted to change the name, in light of residential school revelations and the connections to the bishop. They gave it the interim name of Haysboro Catholic High School.

The school, at 111 Haddon Rd. S.W.,was originally named after Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin (1829-1902).

In the late 1800s, Grandin lobbied the federal government to fund the construction of residential schools.

At least 4,100 Indigenous children are listed as having died at residential schools from when the first ones opened in the 1870s until the last one closed in 1996.

This past summer,large numbers of unmarked graves were discovered on the grounds of former residential schools.

"Extensive consultations and community gatherings were held with Indigenous community representatives, as well as parish representatives, parents, guardians, students and staff," the school board said Wednesday in a release.

"The Calgary Catholic School District honours the shared commitment to educating our community about Indigenous history and culture, as well as the ongoing efforts to work together towards truth and reconciliation."

A renaming ceremony will be planned with the school community, the board says.