Grade 6 students from Lakeland Ridge School in Sherwood Park, Alberta, brought their human rights projects to the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton on May 28, 2026. The public display ran from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. as part of the Upstander Showcase, an annual event led by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
The Be an Upstander project asks students to research and create work on human rights issues that matter to them. Over six weeks, the Lakeland Ridge class explored topics like water pollution, sexism in sports, 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion, child labour, racism, human trafficking, the gender pay gap, and houselessness. The students then presented their findings to the public at Western Canada’s largest museum.
“I’ve learned so much through this project, but what surprised me most is realizing how many people are affected by things we rarely think about in our daily lives,” said Grade 6 student Amaya Kawaguchi, who focused on water pollution in Canada. “People live with issues every day that others may never think about at all. That’s why it’s so important to speak out and spread awareness.”
Other students took on different topics. Natalie Holmes and Sadie Clark created a project on sexism in sports. They were part of a larger group of students from grades 5 to 12 across the Edmonton area who joined the showcase, all committed to standing up against human rights issues.
Colleen Holowaychuk, Board Chair for Elk Island Public Schools, said she was proud of the students’ work. “The passion these students have put into their projects is so impressive, and we are super excited for them to share their work with the greater Edmonton community,” she said. “The future looks much brighter knowing that these dedicated, upstanding students will be the change-makers of tomorrow.”
This is the second year in a row that Lakeland Ridge students have taken part in the Be an Upstander program. The school is part of Elk Island Public Schools, one of Alberta’s largest school divisions, serving about 17,750 students across 43 schools.
