Students across Ottawa's Catholic schools are wearing poppies, attending Remembrance Day ceremonies and learning about Canadians who have served in the military as Veterans' Week gets underway, running from Nov. 5 to 11.
For some younger students, this week is their first introduction to Remembrance Day, while older students use it to dig deeper into Canada's military history and the experiences of veterans, according to the Ottawa Catholic School Board.
This year's commemorations come at a difficult moment for Canada's military community. The board is acknowledging the recent tragedy at CFB Wainwright in Alberta, where four Canadian Armed Forces members lost their lives during a training exercise.
"Behind each life lost is a family grieving, friends mourning and a military community coming together to support one another," the Ottawa Catholic School Board said in a post on its website.
The board said it is keeping the affected families, their fellow service members and everyone touched by the tragedy in its thoughts and prayers, noting that honouring those who serve also means recognizing the sacrifices made by the people who love them.
Lessons tailored to every age
Across OCSB schools, Remembrance Day offers students a chance to learn, ask questions and reflect, the board said.
Younger students may learn why Canadians wear poppies, listen to stories about peace, or discover the meaning behind the two minutes of silence observed every Nov. 11.
Older students may study Canada's involvement in past conflicts, hear from veterans, or consider how war continues to affect families and communities around the world.
The board said these lessons are meant to help students see past dates in their history books and understand that every name on a memorial belonged to a person with a family, friendships and a future.
Indigenous Veterans Day
Veterans' Week also includes Indigenous Veterans Day on Nov. 8, which the board described as a chance to recognize the contributions and sacrifices of First Nations, Inuit and Métis veterans — a piece of Canada's history the board says its students should learn.
The week ties into the board's spiritual theme for the year, Open Doors, Build Bridges, Nourish New Beginnings, which encourages students to think about how their words and actions affect others.
The board says it teaches students that peace is more than the absence of war, and that it begins in classrooms, homes and communities through kindness, listening and respect for others.
On Nov. 11, the OCSB community will join Canadians across the country in remembering those who gave their lives in service, veterans who returned home, families who have lived with loss, and members of the Canadian Armed Forces who continue to serve.
The board said it hopes students standing in silence that day will carry away more than an understanding of the past — that remembrance comes with a responsibility to care for one another and to help create a world where future generations can live without fear.
The board's website notes that its schools are located on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Peoples.
