Educational Toolkit Example Projects
Between fall 2025 and spring 2026, six secondary schools and approximately 300 students in Metro Vancouver participated in a pilot project to implement the Suzhou Alley Women’s Mural Educational Toolkit into their curriculum for the year.
The following schools participated and received a small grant to cover art materials and tour fees for the Chinese Canadian Museum and Chinatown Storytelling Centre in Vancouver’s Chinatown:
- Byrne Creek Community School, Burnaby
- David Thompson Secondary, Vancouver
- Heritage Woods Secondary, Port Moody
- Johnston Heights Secondary, Surrey
- Richmond Secondary School, Richmond
- Vancouver Independent School for Science & Technology, Vancouver
Below are a few example projects from the Educational Toolkit shared by teachers and students.
Byrne Creek Community School, Burnaby
Over 100 students in Grades 8 to 12 from Art, Mandarin, and Social Studies classes engaged in the Educational Toolkit at Byrne Creek Community School in Burnaby.
Ms. Chen and Ms. Prasad guided their students in using the lesson plans and organized a showcase, in the form of a “Dim Sum Party,” allowing students to share their projects with the wider school community.
Grade 8 students used illustrations, text and archival photographs from the project to create a stop-motion video inspired by the historical women represented in the mural.
Grade 9–10 students made “Power Banners”, comprised of contour hand drawings to symbolize the act of taking power into their own hands. The banners also responded to the history of Chinatown and the challenges faced by women in their everyday lives.
Grade 9 & 10 students designed outfits to honour a woman in history or a woman elder in their lives.
Grade 9–12 students illustrated and wrote about historical events on colourful paper dimsum tablecloths.
Grade 9–12 Mandarin class students created dimsum dishes, primarily with paper-based materials and invited student visitors to dedicate a dish to a woman elder.
Grade 11 students researched women in history and created Research Placemats to acknowledge their contributions to society.
David Thompson Secondary, Vancouver
Ms. Hsu guided her Mandarin students in Grade 9 from David Thompson Secondary School in Vancouver.
Inspired by the mural, the students decided to research community leaders and historical figures to create portraits and a short written text in Mandarin and English.
Heritage Woods Secondary, Port Moody
Ms. Mak guided her students in Grade 9–11, including English Language Learning (ELL) students from Heritage Woods Secondary in Port Moody.
For Ms. Mak’s class project, students illustrated portraits and wrote about an influential woman in their lives, either from their family or someone from their culture/country.
Johnston Heights Secondary, Surrey
Mr. Lavoie guided his Grade 11/12 Social Justice class at Johnston Heights Secondary in Surrey.
In their engagement with the SAWM Educational Toolkit, the students’ final commemoration project, entitled “My Three Identities”, explored how identities and roles are communicated, shared, and expressed across cultures. The students created masks and reflected on the multifaceted ways identities are formed and communicated.
Vancouver Independent School for Science & Technology, Vancouver
Ms. Huang and Mr. Aryan guided their students in grades 10 and 11 from Vancouver Independent School for Science & Technology (VISST) in Vancouver.
The students explored activities in Lesson Plans 3 & 4. For the Jigsaw activity in Lesson 3, students explored the SAWM website and researched historical figures highlighted in the mural. This work culminated in student digital slide presentations and meaningful group discussions.
