‘Davin’ officially removed from front of The Crescents School in Regina

Four years after Davin Elementary School in Regina was renamed to The Crescents School, the impacts of the decision are still being felt.

On Monday, the masonry on the front of the school was changed to remove the Davin sign for good.

Back in the 2017-2018 school year, the Regina Public School Board voted to rename the school in light of concerns over connections with the schools name and residential schools.

The school was initially named for Nicholas Flood Davin, who was a journalist and politician. He wrote an influential report in 1879 that played a role in the creation of residential schools.

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Venea Cyr, a residential school survivor and supervisor for Indigenous Education at Regina Public Schools, said the removal of the name entirely from the building is another step in the right direction when it comes to reconciliation.

“I think it just completes the circle and it completes the life of building,” Cry explained. “It’s the beginning and the end of that era and the truth is being told. And in the reconciling with survivors, that’s the kind of the action that needs to take place.

Nearly 100 years after the school was opened, Cyr hopes the education in The Crescents School and schools across the province continue to learn about the land it was built on.

“I believe that it is education that will focus the healing journey,” she said. “All students, especially across Canada, need to know the true history of Canada. I think it’s all about education and changing these educational institutions for really one huge step towards reconciliation.”