MANITOWANING—This Remembrance Day the students and teachers of Assiginack Public School (APS) welcomed veterans and the community into their school for a moving service to honour Canadians service in each of the wars and peacekeeping efforts.
Margaret Stringer, APS principal, acted as the master of ceremonies and gave the school’s “deepest thanks to our veterans and their families, as well as our community partners who are in attendance today,” and welcoming veterans in attendance Jeff Caselton, Trevor Leeson, Bob Newman, Kevin Smith, Brian Sprack, Vivian Lafrenniere, John Marcel and Gerry Kitts.
“Today, we pay tribute to the men and women who have served and continue to serve our country of Canada during times of war, conflict and peace,” Ms. Stringer said. “We remember the more than 1.5 million Canadians who have served throughout our country’s history and the more than 118,000 who have died while serving our country.”
“This year marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of WWI,” she read. “It was known as the Great War because it was the first time in history that almost every country in the world was at war. However it was not a great place to be The war lasted four years and every spring the soldiers, who lived and fought in the trenches noticed a red flower blooming on the battlefields and on the graves of friends who died in the fighting. When the war ended and the people who were in the military came home they continued to think about their friends who were buried overseas. Each time they thought of the graves they remembered the poppies, which grew around the graves. They did not want Canadians to forget that their friends died serving Canada. The poppy became a symbol that everyone could wear to show they remembered.”
“Remembrance Day marks the end of the First World War which ended on November 11, 1918, at 11 am, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month,” the principal continued. “Since then, Canadians have fought in other conflicts and many have given their lives so that we might enjoy freedom today. But it’s not enough, students, to remember to say thank you to our veterans each year on November 11. Each one of us needs to do our part to ensure this world we live in is one of peace and understanding.”
“For those of you in Kindergarten, Grades 1, 2 and 3 this could mean learning to listen carefully to your classmates, making sure that children aren’t being left out of games at recess, and sharing with others,” she urged. “For our students in Grades 4 through 8 it could mean having the courage to speak up when something is wrong, being supportive of those that are being treated poorly, showing them compassion and support. It could also mean learning how to resolve personal conflicts through non-violent means. Each of us can do our part. On this Remembrance Day we remember the veterans’ sacrifices, we honour their brave deeds and we continue to work for peace each of us in our own way.”
The service continued with performances by the APS choir featuring special guest singer/songwriter Errol Lee, the reading of poetry and the laying of wreaths.
The service concluded with each of the children shaking the veterans’ hands, thanking them for their years of service to Canada.
