Woodcrest Students Demonstrate Kindness and Respect
Nov 8, 2016
Close to 60 intermediate students from Woodcrest Public School will be working to clean the military headstones and gravesites at Riverside Cemetery on Wednesday, November 9 in advance of Friday, November 11’s Remembrance Day. The students will be cleaning the headstone and the grave area as an act of respect for the sacrifices made by all Canadian service people throughout history.
“On an education level, this is an incredible opportunity for students to get an up close and personal understanding of the people who we honour and remember on Remembrance Day,” says Jon Kibzey, Grade 7 and 8 Teacher at Woodcrest Public School. “And on a character level, this is a perfect opportunity for our students to physically do something that will honour these special men and women for the sacrifices that they have made in order for us to live in a free society.”
The cleaning and maintaining of Allied war graves is common practice in many cities in Europe. Communities, schools and individual families adopt and maintain the graves on a year round practice. Westmount Public School locally initiated the graveside program at Riverside Cemetery in 2013. Woodcrest Public School has assumed the role at Riverside and Westmount Public School will be honouring the sacrifices of service people at Mountain View Cemetery on Remembrance Day. Woodcrest families have also been invited to join in the activity.
