The snow and bitter cold temperatures didn’t deter Grade 12 Notre Dame High School (NDHS) students from taking the time to reflect on those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their freedom.
For the third year, NDHS classes participated in the No Stone Left Alone project, placing poppies next to headstones of local fallen soldiers.
“(No Stone Left Alone) was brought to us three years ago by the Shapka family, as a way to remember fallen veterans and those who have served in the military to protect the freedom and peace that we have here in Canada” explained Siobhan Winterhalt, Grade 12 NDHS teacher.
The project started in 2011, and was described by Winterhalt as an achievement for the school to be a part of.
This year, students travelled to local cemeteries where they placed a poppy on a headstone to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
Grade 12 student Sienna Brockhoff said the trip “was for a good reason, to remember the people who fought for us.”
The visit put things into perspective for Brockhoff, and reminded her of the ultimate price these soldiers, and many others, paid.
“(I’m going) to be less selfish, because these people sacrificed their lives at such a young age for us,” she expressed.
Students placed poppies at the headstones of fallen soldiers as part of the No Stone Left Alone project.
While students had to brush the snow off of headstones in order to find the poppy identifying the gravesites of soldiers, Shyann Brawn, Grade 12 student, was surprised by the sheer number they found.
“I didn’t realize how many fallen veterans and soldiers were in our community. I think that’s a big eye-opener for me,” Brawn expressed.
Before heading to the cemetary, the students shared prayers, passages, and read In Flanders Fields. During the ceremony, Winterhalt noted the significance of this year’s Remembrance Day.
“We know this is a big year, being the 100th year after the Armistice was signed for the First World War, and it’s important for students to recognize we had a war to end all wars 100 years ago. If we forget the sacrifice that was made for peace, the chance of it happening again is a very real possibility,” she detailed.
Winterhalt played the Last Post, followed by a moment of silence where students were encouraged to think of how their lives would be different if the soldiers hadn’t paid the ultimate price for their freedom.
Having the Grade 12 students involved in the program is important, as some are chosen to lead the school’s Remembrance Day ceremony.
“We want them to be in the right mindset to recognize they’re not just speaking words or facts, but have that little bit more of an emotional connection to what they’re doing, as well. Being out there, looking at the grave sites, thinking about what that sacrifice meant, so that they’re the leaders that our school needs at this ceremony,” Winterhalt expressed.
