By Helen Lee
On Nov. 6, Craik School students, teachers and community members paid tribute to the war veterans at their annual Remembrance Day Ceremony.
Students saluted soldiers in various ways including poetry, song, wreath-laying and artwork. The audience was also treated to a touching online video interview presented by senior students with former Lieutenant-Colonel and Commanding Officer of the Canadian Armed Forces Ryan Eyre entitled “What It Means to Remember”.
Student Aiden Sanden presented a cheque on behalf of Craik School to Lance Brown, president of the Craik branch of the Royal Canadian.
Behind the Scenes of Remembrance…
The Davidson Leader had the opportunity to speak with one group of performers to find out what they learned while creating such a heartwarming and memorable performance.
The Grade 3/4/5 class chose to perform a beautiful rendition of “If You’re Reading This” by Tim McGraw. While the group sang, a power-point slide show played in the background that consisted of photos of local war veterans and their headstones at Craik Cemetery.
Behind the scenes of the well-received fanfare of the ceremonies, the students learned some valuable lessons in history while they put their presentation together. The students researched their own family’s history to see if any of their relatives were involved in past wars.
Some students came to learn of grandparents, aunts, uncles and other distant relatives who were indeed directly involved in battle. They learned of family members they had never met, relatives who never made it home… relatives now buried in Europe.
They also learned of the important roles of those who were not able to enlist for various reasons but “kept the home-fires burning” which allowed our soldiers to leave for war, knowing their homes and families would be taken care of while they were away.
Student Parker Ackland said that through his research he realized that his middle name Brakeland (Howarth) honours both his great-great-grandfather and his great-great-great-grandfather. Both men served in the military during the World Wars.
When asked what they enjoyed most about learning their family history, Kelsey Fahlman answered, “I thought it was cool to learn about my Grandpa Fred (Barnett) going to war, it got me more in touch with my family history.”
Aleah Wall learned about “war brides” during the project as she visited with her great-grandma Joyce Mills. She learned about Joyce’s work in factories in England and was able to see a picture of Robert and Joyce Mills’s wedding that took place during Second World War while Robert was stationed in Yorkshire.
Besides the performance being both entertaining and emotional, teacher, Jody Kearns goal “was to have students make personal connections to their ancestors.”
Now that they know the history, they too, can remember… LEST WE FORGET