Hundreds of students at Crossroads Public School took to the streets on Tuesday, walking around the block with homemade signs to raise awareness about the importance of clean drinking water for all communities.

Led by teacher Roz Pagendam, the walk was part of a broader initiative to support Water First and teach students about water conservation, gratitude, and the ongoing challenges some Indigenous communities face in accessing safe water.

Before the walk began, Indigenous elder Jackie Labonté spoke to the students, sharing cultural teachings about the sacredness of water. She encouraged students to express gratitude each time they drink — whether it’s water, milk or juice — and reminded them that water connects all living things.

“We start our day using water, and sometimes we don’t even realize how often we use it,” she said.

“Try saying thank you in your mind every time you take a sip.”

Labonté also noted that the community where she was raised, Six Nations of the Grand River, just over an hour away, continues to struggle with water quality — a reality faced by many First Nations across the country.

The event served both as an act of solidarity and a call to action for environmental stewardship and water justice. It drew on the legacy of water walks organized by Anishinaabe elder Josephine Mandamin, who helped bring national attention to water protection through journeys around the Great Lakes.

It was the third year Crossroads students have been raising awareness for water issues, and the first year they’ve done a walk.

“It has become a school-wide initiative focused on raising awareness and advocating for change,” said Pagendam, who helped champion the cause after learning about Indigenous water issues in a professional development course five years ago.

As part of the ceremony, students observed the tradition of carrying water in a copper cup — a natural element believed to purify and honour water in Indigenous cultures. Labonté gifted the copper vessel to the school as a reminder of the day’s teachings and a call for students to carry those messages forward into adulthood.

Labonté encouraged students to walk and remember that we are made of water, too. And we have a responsibility to treat it — and each other — with kindness.