Students across the London region will wear sports jerseys to school on Thursday in a massive show of support for the community of Humboldt, Saskatchewan.
The Thames Valley District School Board and the London District Catholic School Board are encouraging students to wear jerseys to school on what is being called #NationalJerseyDay on social media.
TVDSB Director of Education Laura Elliott says, while the board is supporting and encouraging the event, it was the students who pushed the idea of wearing jerseys to show support to those affected by the tragic crash that killed 16 people on the bus of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team.
"They were thinking about what they could do to show signs of support. They saw something on social media around Jersey Day and thought, 'wow, what a great idea.' So as the conversation circulated in our office we thought this is amazing because our kids will certainly support each other and support a community that is grieving," Elliott says.
The London Knights are also encouraging people to don jerseys on Thursday. The team is inviting the public to come to the Covent Garden Market Square for a group photo, which will then be sent to Humboldt. There will also be a banner on which people can write messages of condolence. It will also be sent to the Saskatchewan community.
The Knights are asking people to arrive, in jerseys, at 5:30pm. The team says donations to support the Humboldt Broncos will be accepted.
