St. Michael Catholic Elementary School students honour sacrifice and service on Remembrance Day

Nov. 11, 2024

Johanne Vlachos’s Grade 7/8 class walked from the school to the cenotaph at Victoria Park in Cobourg to attend the community ceremony.

Remembrance Day is a time to pause, reflect and honour those who have served, are serving or have paid the ultimate sacrifice for Canada’s freedom.

Lennon Forfait, a Grade 7 student and sea cadet, wants to eventually join the Naval Tactical Operations Group (NTOG), the boarding party for the Navy.

“It’s a day to remember those who fought for our country and remember the veterans and say, ‘thank you for your service.’ It’s a time to have a moment of silence,” Forfait said. “Even though I’m not active serving, people come up to me and still thank me for my service. I accept that and that’s a big thing for those who are serving.”

Forfait, along with Mary Katherine Marsden, a Grade 8 student, laid two wreaths during the ceremony.

For Marsden, it was a time to remember those in her family who died while at war.

“It means a lot to my family. I had two people in my family die while serving. My great uncle was a pilot in the war and died and my great grandpa died in the Second World War,” added Marsden. “I love seeing the community come together. I saw my chief today too. I’m from Alderville First Nation.”

For others in Vlachos’s class, this was the first time attending a ceremony at the cenotaph.

“I thought it was very nice the community came out for the fallen soldiers,” said Gracie Curtis, a Grade 8 student.

Grade 7 student Harper Mason was also attending her first community Remembrance Day ceremony.

She reflected on her family members who have served.

“My great grandpa was captured in Germany and my other grandpa was in the Navy. It’s special to remember them,” said Mason. “This was really cool. It’s great for the people who fought for our country that they are not forgotten.”

Schools across Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board attended local cenotaphs and held in-school ceremonies to mark Remembrance Day.