Students honour veterans in early Remembrance Day ceremonies

Saskatoon elementary school students donned poppies and stood for the Last Post Wednesday during Remembrance Day ceremonies across the city.

The ceremonies were held three days before Nov. 11 because students have a P.D. day Thursday and are off Friday due to an annual teachers’ conference.

Grade 7 students at Lakeridge School led the morning program for all 400 pupils, reading poems and relaying research they did on Canada’s wars and veterans.

“It makes me proud to be a Canadian,” 12-year-old Ana Elle Chilton said. “I know I’m in a country where people have bravery to step up and take leadership.”

Her classmate, Nandita Anand, said she learned a lot through the experience, which involved the students compiling information for the ceremony.

Anand was particularly amazed by soldiers who earned the Victoria Cross, which was awarded to 86 Canadians through the two world wars for extraordinary valour.

“War is definitely really scary, and the soldiers were just so brave to help us and make Canada what it is now,” she said.

Grade 7 teacher Caitlan Schmidt told 650 CKOM the responsibility of running the ceremony provided her class with more motivation to learn about soldiers and wars.

She noted it’s a more onerous task for this generation.

“When I was growing up we had a lot of veterans we could talk to, and as the years go on we’re losing them,” she said.

“It’s really important to make the kids aware of how important it is to remember.”