Christmas has been removed from Pringle Creek Public School in Whitby, replaced with a “winter” display while the school continues to celebrate various other religious and cultural holidays.
For December, the main display board at the school showcased a winter scene complete with snowflakes, a decorated tree, and Olaf from Disney’s Frozen. The winter festivities also included a cookie sale that made no mention of Christmas.
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On its own, this wouldn’t be particularly surprising but the school consistently celebrates non-Christian cultural and religious holidays without hesitation. In October, the school promoted a similar cookie sale for Diwali on its Instagram account. During that time, the display board clearly recognized Diwali as an acknowledged celebration.
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The pattern has raised concerns within the community. Following earlier reporting by True North about Pringle Creek, another community member reached out independently, expressing worry over what they called the school’s “ongoing erasure of Christian holidays while giving preferential treatment to others.”
A look at the school’s Instagram showed frequent and clear recognition of Islamic and South Asian observances. Past posts included videos of young students dancing to an Arabic-language Eid-themed song while Easter was presented simply with cute images of bunnies and spring flowers.
Last year, Pringle Creek posted seven times about Diwali, three times regarding Lunar New Year, and highlighted a Grade 1 classroom post celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa as part of “December celebrations,” all without mentioning Christmas. In contrast, Easter was framed as a spring-themed STEM activity titled “Design an Easter basket,” rather than being referred to as a religious holiday.
A concerned individual contacted the school’s principal asking why Christian holidays were regularly treated as generic seasonal greetings while other cultural and religious elements were honored during celebrations like Diwali and Islamic observances.
The principal acknowledged this concern stating, “I understand your surprise regarding the front bulletin board not being decorated specifically for Easter or Passover this year,” adding that there had been decorations for Easter in the “office display case.”
Images shared with True North indicate that this display contained no references to Easter itself but featured eggs, flowers, and bunnies in pastel colors suitable for springtime décor. There were no mentions of Easter’s Christian roots or traditions present.
The principal asserted that the school is “committed to equity and inclusion,” ensuring many different cultures’ celebrations are acknowledged and respected.
True North reached out to Pringle Creek Public School along with the Durham District School Board for comments on their December displays alongside concerns expressed by several parents but did not receive any response before publication time.
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The pattern has raised concerns within the community. Following earlier reporting by True North about Pringle Creek, another community member reached out independently, expressing worry over what they called the school’s “ongoing erasure of Christian holidays while giving preferential treatment to others.”
A look at the school’s Instagram showed frequent and clear recognition of Islamic and South Asian observances. Past posts included videos of young students dancing to an Arabic-language Eid-themed song while Easter was presented simply with cute images of bunnies and spring flowers.
Last year, Pringle Creek posted seven times about Diwali, three times regarding Lunar New Year, and highlighted a Grade 1 classroom post celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa as part of “December celebrations,” all without mentioning Christmas. In contrast, Easter was framed as a spring-themed STEM activity titled “Design an Easter basket,” rather than being referred to as a religious holiday.
A concerned individual contacted the school’s principal asking why Christian holidays were regularly treated as generic seasonal greetings while other cultural and religious elements were honored during celebrations like Diwali and Islamic observances.
The principal acknowledged this concern stating, “I understand your surprise regarding the front bulletin board not being decorated specifically for Easter or Passover this year,” adding that there had been decorations for Easter in the “office display case.”
Images shared with True North indicate that this display contained no references to Easter itself but featured eggs, flowers, and bunnies in pastel colors suitable for springtime décor. There were no mentions of Easter’s Christian roots or traditions present.
The principal asserted that the school is “committed to equity and inclusion,” ensuring many different cultures’ celebrations are acknowledged and respected.
True North reached out to Pringle Creek Public School along with the Durham District School Board for comments on their December displays alongside concerns expressed by several parents but did not receive any response before publication time.
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