Villanova students help plant flags on veterans’ graves

Chloe Kosek and Isabelle Kosempel were two of the Grade 10 students from St. Thomas of Villanova Secondary School placing flags on veterans’ graves at Victoria Memorial Gardens last Thursday. The class worked with Royal Canadian Legion Br. 594 on the initiative.

Veterans in an Essex County cemetery were recognized by local high school students in time for Remembrance Day.

Grade 10 history students from St. Thomas of Villanova Secondary School were at Victoria Memorial Gardens last Thursday morning where they assisted members of Royal Canadian Legion Br. 594 in planting flags on graves in a veterans’ section of the cemetery.

Gerry Ciurysek, poppy chairman with Br. 594, said the Howard Ave. branch puts approximately 800 Canadian flags on graves at Victoria Memorial Gardens and another 100 at neighbouring Greenlawn Memorial Gardens.

“We do this three times per year,” Ciurysek explained. “We plant flags to honour our veterans.”

Other times during the year are in early June and during Legion Week in September. Ciurysek said when cadets and other youth come in to help they are often startled by seeing how old some of the people were when they were killed.

“There are a lot of kids your age,” he told the Villanova students.

Ciurysek added they want the students to honour the veterans and keep their memories alive. Ciurysek, himself a Navy veteran who served in the 1970s, served in the Cold War.

“We were always at the ready, prepared for anything that could happen,” he said.

The students “need to know the freedoms they have today and the reasons for it,” he added.

It was the first time Legion Br. 594 and Villanova teamed up on the project and Ciurysek said he worked with history teacher Paula Brownlee to make it happen.

“I think it’s important that we still remember their sacrifices,” Brownlee said of the veterans’ service. 

While there are discussions and assemblies at the school, Brownlee said planting Canadian flags on the graves is a next step.

“I think this is taking it to the next level,” she said.

Brownlee added it is reenforced to the students that “real people fought for us” in times of war and in peace time. She added family members on both her side and her husband’s side fought in times of war.

Luca Varacalli, one of Brownlee’s students, said seeing the grave markers helps them realize what soldiers endured. He said they read about veterans in books but coming to the cemetery helped them learn more about when soldiers went through.

“You kind of want to give back as much as you can,” he said. 

Varacalli said “it really tugs at your heart” to know what the soldiers and their families went through. He said not only those on the headstones went through a lot, but their buddies did as well.

“It definitely is an eye-opener,” he said.

Villanova students help plant flags on veterans’ graves

By Ron Giofu