It was a cold and somber day for Grade 12 Notre Dame High School (NDHS) students as they laid poppies in the snow next to the headstones of local fallen soldiers.
This is the second year NDHS has participated in the No Stone Left Alone project.
It was launched in 2011, as a way of recognizing the sacrifice men and women paid for their country, but wasn't introduced to local students until last year.
Sonja Shapka and her daughter Alexandra came across the No Stone Left Alone project, and decided to give it a try at NDHS.
The local students travel to gravesites, laying poppies beside the headstones of Canadian soldiers who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.
Now in its second year, students carry on the tradition, regardless of freezing temperatures.
“We are trying to raise awareness about the sacrifice made by veterans, not only throughout our country, but right here in our own community, be it they settled here after fighting the war, or they were from here originally when they went and fought for our peace,” said Siobhan Winterhalt, Grade 12 teacher at NDHS.
The project also aims to connect the students with the men and women who sacrificed their lives during the war.
“They were the same age, they had the same values, beliefs, and goals. They put it all aside essentially to help ensure that we had freedom, rights, and justice,” Winterhalt expressed.
Jarred Dargis, Grade 12 student, said he was moved by the connection he felt.
“It's overwhelming to see how many people volunteer and how many people dedicate their lives.”
For Dargis, taking part, helped him realize there were people from his own community that volunteer to fight for their country.
“There are so many things that we can do and that people have done for us, just so we can live our lives,” he expressed.
Prior to making their way to local grave sites, the students shared prayers and passages, as well as a reading of In Flanders Fields.
Winterhalt played The Last Post, before a moment of silence where students were encouraged to reflect on what it would have been like to set everything aside, their education, their friends, and their family, to go to war for their country.
“Peace, justice, all of the things did come with a price, and lest we forget those who ultimately paid it for us,” Winterhalt said.
Once they arrived, they took a moment to place a poppy at the headstone of a fallen soldier, and quietly thanked them for their service.
For more information on the project, or to get involved, visit nostoneleftalone.ca.
