Damon F. posing in front of the symbolic cenotaph after the service

IHMS conducts a special Remembrance Day prayer service every year to commemorate all the Canadian soldiers who fought and died in previous and current wars. This year, staff and students gathered for the service in the school gym at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10th.

Mr. Picklyk with students assembled in the gym

After a brief welcome by Mr. Picklyk, the service began with an entrance procession of 9 students led by Dayna K. (student council president) and Marko K. (student council vice-president). Dayna carried the Canadian flag, Marko carried an icon, and the remaining 7 students (Abby S., Adrianna S., Joshua T., Maddalena J., Karnvir B., Breanna H., and Michael K.) each carried a different symbol of peace which they placed on the “Peace Tree” at the front of the gym.

Dayna K. and Marko K. leading the entrance procession into the gym

Everyone rose for "O Canada", the national anthem, followed by a reading of the biblical passage Ephesians 4: 25-27, 29-32 by Sister Anne Pidskalny, SSMI.

Sister Anne Pidskalny reading Ephesians 4: 25-27, 29-32

Next, four students from grade 8 (Mira V., Larissa C., Brennen F., and Mitzi G.) read a short “Sentence of Remembrance”. This was a description of their thoughts and feelings about Remembrance Day from an assignment they did for Mrs. Naurocki in class. Sydney H. and Carter L. followed this by reading a Remembrance Day poem entitled “Please Wear a Poppy”.

Top photo: grade 8 students reading their “Sentence of Remembrance”; bottom photo: Carter L. and Sydney H reading the poem “Please Wear a Poppy”

To commemorate the fact that the Canadian Red Cross will be celebrating its official 100th anniversary this year in 2009, two grade 6 students, Julian F. and Lukas S. took turns reading a brief history of the Red Cross in Canada.

Julian F. and Lukas S. reading a brief history of the Red Cross in Canada

This was followed by “Candles of Peace” by another 9 students - James B. (gr. 1), Thomas S. (gr. 2), Julianna C. (gr. 3), Mary M. (gr. 3), Andrij D. (gr. 4), Bhavana G. (gr. 5), Maria L. (gr. 6), Dayna H. (gr. 7), and Nicholas K. (gr. 7). Each student read an intention and then lit a candle at the front of the gym.

The “Candles of Peace” ceremony

Mrs. Stanowych and the IHMS performing group then sang the song “Where is the Peace”.

Mrs. Stanowych and the IHMS performing group

One of the highlights of the Remembrance Day service is the traditional laying of the wreath by the school’s “Colour Party”. The Colour Party is always composed of a group of grade 7 and 8 students who belong to a “uniform” wearing organization such as Sum, Plast, or the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. This year’s Colour Party was made up of Orian B., Olena C., Riane K., Orycia K., Iryna L., Joseph R., Nina S., Zenya S., Anastasiya S., Damon F., Quinlan G., Gabriela K., and Marko K.

The Colour Party moments before marching into the gym

The Colour Party marched loudly and in perfect formation from the gym entrance, along the back wall, and down the middle of the gym to the symbolic cenotaph at the front. Damon F. laid the wreath on the cenotaph and then stepped back and saluted while the rest of the marchers filed around on either side of the cross.

The Colour Party marching to the front of the gym

The marchers assumed their positions and saluted during a recorded bugle call entitled “Last Post”. The Last Post is a bugle call that has been incorporated into military funerals where it is played as a final farewell, symbolising the fact that the duty of the dead soldier is over and that they can rest in peace. Everyone remained silent and solemn while the Colour Party held their salute during the moment of silence.

The Colour Party saluting during the moment of silence

The Remembrance Day service ended with the prayer “Our Father” recited in Ukrainian, and a song was played as students filed out of the gym and back to their classes.

War is terrible - it’s the deliberate killing of other human beings. Nobody wants war, but it still happens all the time. In fact, thousands of soldiers are involved in wars around the world at this very moment, including Canadians who have been fighting in Afghanistan since the war started in 2002. In the last 7 years,133 Canadians have died in Afghanistan, more than any other country except the U.S. The efforts of these brave soldiers give additional meaning to the importance of our annual Remembrance Day service.

The "Colour Party" posing after the Remembrance Day Service