Students from William D. Cuts Junior High gathered at the St. Albert Municipal Cemetery on Thursday to reflect on the sacrifices made by the men and women in Canada’s military.
As the sun was rising, a small group of students in the school’s leadership program arrived early to meet with veterans and prepare for the ceremony by planting Canadian flags beside the gravestones of military members.
“I think it’s just good to recognize the people who fought for us,” said Grade 9 student Jake Burkell, who was preparing to give a speech about the origins of the No Stone Left Alone Foundation.
“People need to respect them for what they did and the sacrifices they made for Canada.”
The students’ visit was part of the No Stone Left Alone project. Now in its 13th year, No Stone Left Alone gets school-aged kids out of the classroom to visit veterans’ graves. It encourages youth to remember the sacrifices of Canadian soldiers, and it ensures that members aren’t forgotten, or their graves left untended.
Events take place across Canada and around the world.
“I find it very emotional when they’re standing out by the graves,” said Grade 7 language arts teacher Rhonda Surmon.
As school buses arrived and unloaded, Grade 9 students went to stand by the gravestones, while students in Grades 7 and 8 waited in centre of the cemetery for a ceremony led by veterans, RCMP, cadets and fellow students to begin.
Volunteers from the school’s leadership program read poems and stories. Veterans, cadets and RCMP placed wreaths at the Field of Honour memorial.
Then students in Grades 7 and 8 met their Grade 9 peers at the gravestones to leave poppies.
“I think being at the cemetery makes it a little more real [for students]; it has more meaning behind it,” Surmon said.
Afterwards, students wrote about their experiences at the cemetery, and some essays will be shared with the No Stone Left Alone Foundation.
“It’s amazing to read some of these kids’ thoughts about what it meant to be out there in the field, which they get when they read the different headstones and markers,” said veteran Robert Fagan.
Veteran Tim Penney had tears in his eyes as he described the importance of the ceremony.
“These young school kids are amazing, absolutely amazing,” he said.
“There’s barely any adults helping them set up," Penney said. "They understand it – they’re doing [In] Flanders Fields, the whole nine yards. And they understand something of what veterans went through.”
“You can’t stop this. You’ve got to continue for years to come.”
