Bell High School valedictorian defended by advocates after pro-Palestinian remarks
he OCDSB said speeches are for celebrating academic life and "designed to facilitate respectful, safe and supportive discussions."
Sam Hersh, a member of Independent Jewish Voices Ottawa, stands in front of Bell High School, where this year’s valedictorian made comments about Palestinians and Truth and Reconciliation last week in her speech. Hersh, along with some other local advocacy groups, stands in solidarity with her sentiments, and calls on the OCDSB to issue an apology. Photo by JULIE OLIVER /Postmedia
A part of Bell High School valedictorian Elizabeth Yao’s speech mentioning the war in Gaza initiated a call from her principal, asking Yao to stay home the following Monday.
Now, some advocates are showing support for Yao and demanding that the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board issue her a public apology.
“I think people are using the platforms they have to make important statements. That, I think, is totally legitimate,” said Sam Hersh, a member of Independent Jewish Voices Ottawa. “Touching on politics and the commencement speech and talking about what students and younger generations are going to face is probably appropriate and contextual for the times that we’re currently living in.”
Yao’s Valedictorian speech largely focused on the memories she made during four years at Bell High School.
In videos and a written copy of her speech circulating online, Yao reminisces about preparing 200 waffles with her peers for a fundraiser. She thanks the custodial staff for their reliance and speed, and the front-office workers for supplying students with forks to eat their lunches. Yao also mentions her fellow students, saying their participation in school events made them “the heart of our high school experiences.”
A land acknowledgement near the end of her speech also mentioned the war in Gaza.
“As a commitment to truth and reconciliation I must acknowledge colonial and genocidal atrocities today, including the massacre of more than 17,000 Palestinian children in Gaza,” the speech read. In videos of Yao’s speech, her comments were met with cheers and applause from the audience.
“I refuse to stand on the side of history that allows the repetition of crimes against humanity,” she continued. “It is my hope that every single one of you present today consider my speech and my desperation for a free Palestine.”
In an email addressed to parents and guardians, Bell High School principal Jane Conrod apologized for the speech’s “unexpected and unapproved” comments.
“The content of the remarks, which touched on deeply sensitive global events, was not part of the pre-approved speech,” the email read. “We deeply regret that this occurred and are truly sorry for the harm that has been caused.”
In a statement, OCDSB spokesperson Diane Pernari said Conrod would not be available for an interview. But Pernari said the goal of their commencement ceremonies was to “create a joyous celebration of student achievement.”
“Our schools provide appropriate forums within the school year to engage thoughtfully with a wide range of issues that impact our community. These settings are designed to facilitate respectful, safe and supportive discussions,” the statement said.
“We do not feel that commencement ceremonies provide the appropriate forum for such discussions.”
David Handelman, a member of the leadership committee for the Jewish Parents of Ottawa Students Association, said he “supports students using their voice to protest or demonstrate.” However, he said there was “a time and place” for “expressing opinions on geopolitical matters.”
“There’s two sides or multiple sides to every story; so it’s potentially divisive, potentially hurtful, and can be felt or seen as disrespectful to some students who have differing opinions,” he said.
Most Jewish families, Handelman said, hope to celebrate commencement ceremonies in a space “where the geopolitical conflict does not enter.”
“When it does, it creates a level of stress and anxiety,” he said. “I think the Jewish community would hope and expect that the board will take steps to keep the commencement … a celebration where everyone can feel included and respected and just keep the geopolitics out of there.”
Item 4.7 of OCDSB’s procedures for commencement ceremonies, which was last updated June 18, 2024, reads: “Participation and/or presentation will be student-focused and not be used for personal and/or political statements and interests.”
According to the OCDSB’s guiding principles on the Middle East conflict, “Slogans or symbols that signal solidarity, such as ‘Free Palestine’ etc. are permitted as long as they don’t violate the Code of Conduct.”
Yao’s speech, Hersh thinks, “should not be controversial” and OCDSB’s response was “heavy-handed.”
“I think there’s a difference between actual harm and the feelings of discomfort with opinions that you disagree with,” he said. “There was nothing wrong with what was said. Nothing antisemitic or anything like that.”
Pernari confirmed that no students were suspended in relation to the graduation speech.
“The student was asked to stay home Monday morning until the principal could talk to her,” Pernari wrote. “But I understand she was at school all day and in class.”
Despite multiple requests, Yao could not be reached for an interview.
An email campaign sponsored by the Palestinian Canadian Congress called the school board’s response to the speech “outrageous,” and asked for a public apology to Yao and the Palestinian community, as well as calls for board-wide education and training on anti-Palestinian racism.
The campaign has seen more than 10,000 letters sent to OCDSB administration so far.
“A stellar student was abused and humiliated for acknowledging an event that is so essential in world history,” said James Kafieh, vice-president of the Palestinian Canadian Congress. “We’re hoping that the school board will take the high ground, and the best way to do that and move towards reconciliation is to issue a formal written apology to Miss Yao and to the Palestinian-Canadian community.”
Shaheen Lotun, a member of Labour for Palestine Ottawa, said she was “not surprised” by the support and 10,000 letters.
“I think it’s fair to ask the OCDSB for clarity and some answers because she did nothing wrong,” Lotun said, adding that she had been in touch with a group of Bell High School parents “willing to support” Yao.
“We have to normalize support for Palestinians,” Lotun said. “It is not issuing a threat to any other community, it is merely saying that these people deserve freedom to live.”
Part of the reason Yao was reprimanded, Kafieh said, was to send a message.
“It’s to warn anyone else who wants to express concern for the Palestinian-Canadian community or acknowledge their history and culture that it won’t be welcomed within the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board,” he said. “That’s the real lesson.
“We have a great struggle within our community to be able to feel safe and welcomed.”
For Lotun, a commencement speech is “the perfect place” for someone to share their views on what’s happening in the world.
“Students aren’t graduating in a bubble. They’re graduating into a world where we’re all active citizens,” she said. “Yao demonstrated such courage and leadership.
“We should all be looking up to students like this.”
