Villanova and Legion Branch 594 honour veterans by placing flags on graves

Grade 10 history students from St. Thomas of Villanova Secondary School, in partnership with Royal Canadian Legion Br. 594, planted flags on the graves of veterans at Victoria Memorial Gardens Nov. 3. It was a way for the students to pay tribute to veterans as Remembrance Day approached.

Approximately 40 Grade 10 students from St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic Secondary School joined members of the Royal Canadian Legion Br. 594 at Victoria Memorial Gardens cemetery to honour fallen veterans by placing flags on their gravesites ahead of Remembrance Day.

The annual event gives students an opportunity to recognize the sacrifices made by Canadian veterans while learning about the importance of keeping their memories alive for future generations.

Students were guided through the cemetery, where Legion members had marked the locations of identified veterans’ graves with small paint markers. 

The students then placed Canadian flags at each marked headstone as a sign of respect and remembrance.

Paula Brownlee, a teacher at Villanova, said the activity builds on lessons students have been learning in the classroom.

“We just finished a unit on World War I and Afghanistan,” said Brownlee. “So this kind of makes it real, why we need to remember the sacrifice of everyone that participated.”

Brownlee said the school took part in the initiative last year and received positive feedback from students. She wanted to bring the experience back because it offered something that a textbook alone could not.

“It’s more than just reading a textbook, they made a connection,” she said.

Brownlee added that watching students read the names on the headstones and notice the ages of the veterans helped make the experience even more meaningful.

Gerry Ciurysek, the Poppy chair for Legion Br. 594, emphasized the importance of passing the stories of veterans down through generations.

Ciurysek explained that during the First and Second World Wars, some young men lied about their ages to enlist, with some being as young as 15 or 16. 

Their willingness to serve at such a young age is a reminder of the sacrifices made by generations before them.

“We want to try to keep them remembering constantly and to pass it on to their friends, the next generation, and the generation after that,” said Ciurysek. “These people did not fight in vain.”

Ciurysek also discussed the annual poppy campaign, which now begins Oct. 24, giving volunteers an additional week to collect donations in support of veterans.

Funds raised through poppy donations help veterans, their spouses, caregivers and families with various needs. 

For the students, placing flags on the headstones was more than a school activity. It was an opportunity to connect with the people behind the history they study and recognize the sacrifices that helped shape the country.

The initiative serves as a reminder that remembering those who served is not limited to one day of the year, but is a responsibility that can be carried forward by every generation.

On Remembrance Day, the students will get to hear from a former Villanova student that fought in the Afghanistan war.

Villanova and Legion Branch 594 honour veterans by placing flags on graves

By Donna Tuckwell