They include children and grandchildren of dignitaries from Christian Center Academy and the adjacent Saskatoon Christian Center Church. The school is now known as Legacy Christian Academy. The church has also changed its name, to Mile Two Church. “This place has left a long trail of abused and damaged people. I’m glad we got out of this worship community,” said 19-year-old Garrison Davis, grandson of the church’s original pastor. Saskatoon police are encouraging other alleged victims and their supporters to contact them. “As police, we understand that the decision to file a formal report is a personal one, particularly when it involves interpersonal violence,” said the statement emailed to CBC News on Thursday. “We encourage anyone with information believed to be relevant to the investigation to come forward and support those who wish to make a formal report to do so.” Former Christian Center Academy student Garrison Davis says he and others routinely “padded” years after the Supreme Court banned the practice in schools. (Submitted by Garrison Davis) Earlier this week, a CBC News investigation revealed that 18 former students have filed abuse complaints with Saskatoon police. Since this story was published, CBC News has spoken to nearly a dozen others. Most people say they will go to the police. The new complaints cover a wider time period than the original complaints. Davis said he was rowed repeatedly by the spring of 2012, and it was common to hear of similar attacks on other students at this time. “It’s not like getting hit by someone’s hand. It’s a hard, wooden paddle that’s specially made. It would definitely leave some pretty bad bruising and hurt for days afterwards,” he said.
The school says it has apologized
The Supreme Court of Canada has outlawed all corporal punishment by school officials since January 2004. Legal experts said any paddling or other force applied after that time would clearly constitute criminal assault, and private schools are subject to the same laws. Kieran Friesen, second from right, poses with his partner and two children. Friesen, the son of the former Christian Center Academy principal, said gay and transgender students like him feel traumatized and filled with guilt. He said it took years to be proud of his identity. (Submitted by Kieran Friesen) School officials have repeatedly declined requests for interviews, but have released two written statements. In the first, they said rowing hasn’t happened in “more than two decades.” In the second, issued this week, they say they have “offered numerous public and private apologies” to students in recent years. But students say hazing and other abuse were widespread for years after the Supreme Court ruling, and no students are aware of any kind of apology. The CBC asked officials for letters, emails, videos or other evidence of past apologies, but no one from the church or school responded.
“A trauma I’m still dealing with”
The students say the lies must stop and they want justice. “It’s a trauma I’m still dealing with, [but] I want to stand up and talk about it,” said Kieran Friesen, whose estranged father was the school’s principal when he attended. Friesen, who is transgender, said he was ashamed and confused about his identity throughout his time at the school. After graduation, he self-harmed and contemplated suicide because of his overwhelming guilt. “I always knew something was different. I couldn’t talk about it because we were always told anything different was wrong. I was constantly afraid. I couldn’t be myself,” said Friesen, who now lives in Edmonton with his . partner and two children. Freisen and others say they were finally inspired to speak out when they saw the interviews with their fellow students. They said it showed them they are not alone. Former Christian Center Academy student Jillian Kudrick and others are demanding the provincial government close the school, now known as Heritage Christian Academy. (Submitted by Jillian Kudryk) “I saw the story this week and decided I had to file a police report and I had to say something,” said Jillian Kudryk, who said she was rowed at least 10 times before she dropped out of school in 2005 at age 15 because deterioration of mental health. Her brother, Kristian Kudryk, said she took up rowing as a 7th grader in 2005 because of difficulties caused by an undiagnosed learning disability. Kudryk said he and others were forced to kneel on the school steps, holding their arms straight forward as the teacher piled books into their hands. When their muscles failed and the books fell, they were forced to pick them up, hand them back to the teacher, and do it twice more. “These people left a big scar on my life. It was a little cult,” he said. Davis, Friesen, the Kudryks and others said physical abuse was wrong, but psychological and spiritual manipulation was worse. When Kayla Pickles attended in the late 1990s, she said the principal would often call her into his office after she broke one of the school’s many rules, such as questioning a teacher. She said he would scream and yell at her for two or three hours at a time. “He said I was filled with the devil and I was giving in to the dark side,” Pickles said.
“It should have been closed a long time ago”
In the statement this week, school and church officials say they will support any former student who requests it. “We have and will cooperate fully with any officials or authorities investigating their actions,” the statement said. “We continue to encourage and support any former student who believes they have been abused or assaulted to make a police report so that these matters can be investigated and dealt with properly and legally.” On Wednesday, the Saskatchewan NDP called on the provincial government to suspend more than $700,000 in public funds given annually to the school until these serious allegations are investigated. Education Minister Dustin Duncan’s office said no action will be taken until the police investigation is complete. Students and opposition members are calling on Education Minister Dustin Duncan to freeze state funding or close Legacy Christian Academy in light of abuse allegations. A ministry official said no action would be taken until the police completed their investigation. (Kirk Fraser/CBC) The file has been handed over to Crown prosecutors to consider possible charges. But an email sent to students says that process could take another year. Most students polled say that Duncan should step in to protect other children and that the entire institution should be shut down for good. “It just makes me sick,” said former student Brooke Parr, 25. “I think it should have been closed a long time ago.”
