Across SJASD's 26 schools, students and staff held ceremonies to honour those have served and continue to serve at home and abroad.​

A Packed Crowd

At Sansome School, parents, grandparents and community members filled chairs and bleachers in the elementary school's gymnasium to watch students sing, read poems and lay wreaths.

“We have a very involved parent and grandparent community," explains Principal Henrietta Hoch, adding that attendees are often drawn to see their loved ones perform.

Veteran Captain Garry Kirk attended the ceremony with his wife. His daughter teaches at the school.

Captain Kirk flew airplanes for 38 years and served during the Cold War. During his time in the Royal Canadian Air Force he tracked Soviet submarines and travelled from Greenland to Iceland to the Arctic Circle.

“We always go to Remembrance Day services because it's in our blood," he explains, noting his family has a long history of military service dating back to the turn of the last century.​

Sharing Music
Sansome Music Teacher Shannon Moses prepared her Grade 4/5 students to sing a haunting rendition of Clouds and upbeat choral arrangement Changamano at the service. Prior to teaching music, Shannon played the French horn in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. She says she was proud of her students for executing such complex harmonies in front of a large audience.

Shannon also noted that trumpet player Gabriela M.- G. performed the Last Post and Revielle beautifully. Gabriela is a Westwood Collegiate band student and one of five trumpeters sent by the high school to perform at Remembrance Day services across the Division.

History of the Canadian Armed Forces
Besides the musical performances, attendees also heard from guest speaker Warrant Officer Caitlyn McManus (pictured right), who touched on the longstanding truce following the Korean War, Canada's role in Peacekeeping and Afghanistan, and many recent in-country deployments to assist with wildfire-related evacuations across several provinces and territories.

At the end of the service, students laid two wreaths for each class in the school.​

Troubling Times

Across Portage Avenue at Bruce Middle School, students, staff, and community members observed an opening procession of the Army, Navy, Air Force Veterans Unit 283 Colour Party.

Principal Stacy Kent addressed attendees, touching on the need to work harder than ever to strive for peace in a world with troubling conflicts, division, and the negative impacts of social media use.

“Freedom and peace aren't things we can just expect to last forever. We have to work to protect them. We need to find ways to solve problems without violence, and we need to stand up for the values of kindness, respect, diversity, and unity," she said. “We need to hold onto what Remembrance Day teaches us: that peace is something we all have to work for, and it's something that requires understanding and care for one another."

Reconciliation
Principal Kent (pictured right) also spoke about the importance of Reconciliation and Indigenous People's Veteran's Day, Earlier this week, the former Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Honourable Murray Sinclair, passed away.

“I ask you to think about what it means to reconcile. To reconcile means to bring two people or groups together after an argument or disagreement, to make peace, and to fix what was broken," she said.

Thousands of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples served in the Canadian Armed Forces. However, many soldiers who returned home from World War II lost their Indian Status, and didn't receive the same recognition or benefits as other Canadians who served.

Sharing Experiences

With approximately 50 new Ukrainian students attending Bruce Middle School this year, Principal Kent says staff made sure to brief them prior to the service.

“This is their first Remembrance Day," she explains. One Ukrainian student shared a poem with attendees, while another read out a message to a Veteran.

“What they've seen and experienced. They were able to share that with us. It was very, very touching," she says.

Remembrance Day poem Sonia (Gr. 8), (pictured right)

Before the war, life was better
We were happy, not sad.
We didn't have any political issues
We didn't care what president said

After the war, everyone cried
The battlefields were lined with dead
Now we stand for dead bodies
With hope that every war will end.

Postcards for Peace (Notecard to a Veteran) Yeva (Gr. 6)
Thank you for keeping us safe and let us see blue skies instead of dark clouds. Me, as a person from Ukraine, I can understand how scary and nervous it feels. It was hard to evacuate out of there. Thanks to you and all your sacrifices, we are able to live here in peace. Thank you. 

Combat Medicine

Attendees also heard from Guest Speaker and military doctor Lieutenant-Colonel (Retired) James R. Popplow (pictured right).

L-C Popplow touched on the history of combat medicine. He pointed out that almost one per cent of the population of Canada gave their lives in World War I over four years of trench warfare. While many died from chemical attacks or physical injuries, others were taken by infectious diseases like pneumonia, typhoid fever, cholera, influenza, and diphtheria. Since then, wounded soldiers have benefited from antibiotics and surgical field hospitals (WWII), helicopter (Korean War) and rapid medivacs (Afghanistan). Still, L-C Popplow says we are still coming to terms with the widespread impact of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on soldiers returning from conflicts, and the ongoing need for compassionate care.

Strong Community Response

Vice Principal Norm Gould was pleased with the Bruce community's response to his request for pictures of current and former service members. He collected over 40 submission to showcase at the service. His wife is also a veteran and his son is currently deployed.

“I think it went really, really well," he concludes. This is Vice Principal Gould's first time coordinating a Remembrance Day service in SJASD, though he has been a part of services in the Division for many years.

Remembrance Day was first observed in 1919 to commemorate the armistice agreement that ended the First World War on Monday, November 11, 1918 at 11 a.m.. More than 2.3 million Canadians have served and more than 118,000 have lost their lives.

Video Highlights from Sansome and Bruce

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For more information on Remembrance Day and Indigenous People's Veteran's Day in SJASD, follow school and Division accounts on Instagram.

Thank you to the students and staff of Sansome School, Bruce Middle School, and all other SJASD staff, students, and guests for being part of Remembrance Day/National Indigenous People's Veteran's Day services this year.