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Prince Albert prepares for Remembrance Day

Nov 8, 2018 | 4:02 PM

École Vickers Public School in Prince Albert took time to remember our history on Thursday morning.

The school held two ceremonies to mark Remembrance Day, as not all of the school’s students can fit into the gym at the same time.

The ceremony had a large amount of student involvement, with the school band and choir singing and providing music.

“This is something that’s just a beautiful service at our school, we have so much participation from our band and our choir under the direction of Mr. Perry Acorn,” said school Principal Jennie Green.

The colour guard was also made up of students, with the playing of the bagpipes done by student Leif Raas. Speaking to paNOW after the first ceremony, Raas, who has been playing the bagpipes for two years, said he enjoyed playing at the ceremony but did find it challenging.

“It’s fun, but I also get nervous,” he said.

During the ceremony some grade five students read In Flanders Fields by John McCrae. In addition, there was a wreath laying, where two students from each class laid down wreaths at the front of the gym.

Videos were also shown, one of which was put together by grade seven students at the school. Green said getting ready for the ceremony was a learning opportunity for many students.

“We had our grade seven photography class actually do a field trip to all of the war memorials and the cemetery to take pictures to make it a relevant display of photos and pictures for our students,” she said.

Besides the photo element, Green explained art students at the school put together murals which were part of the event Thursday.

“It was really a culmination of many different teachers and students to make this just a beautiful service,” she said.

École Holy Cross visited as part of remembrance activities

Local members of the Royal Canadian Legion also spent time this week visiting schools around Prince Albert to promote remembrance and respect as Nov. 11 approaches.

Annual Remembrance Day ceremonies take place Sunday in Prince Albert. This year marks 100 years since the end of the First World War.

While time has passed, local Legion members say it’s always important to remember the sacrifices of war. Four local veterans attended the Remembrance Day ceremony earlier this week at École Holy Cross in Prince Albert.

“I think it’s important for us to carry on the legacy of Remembrance Day and let young people remember that we never forget,” said Tim Hogan, a member of the Prince Albert Legion Branch 2. “I think we have to remember the horrors of war, and respect that nobody wins really.”

Gary Renaud attended the ceremony as well, and said he has always felt lucky because his father was able to return from service during the Second World War, unlike many others.

“My dad used to get very sad on some days because so many of his friends were killed overseas,” Renaud told paNOW. “Some of his friends actually never made it to Europe because they were on a ship that was sunk out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, so we remember all of those.”

Hogan said he’s happy to be a part of the annual service and recognition efforts to engage with youth and help them understand the importance of Remembrance Day.

“I think every year, we have to do what we do here,” Hogan added. “We show our flags, we tell our stories, we remember.”

MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn

 

With files from Charlene Tebbutt