ELORA – Students at St. Mary Catholic School in Elora filled the school with poppies on Nov. 11 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the poppy and the soldiers who fought for our freedom.
Newspaper, cardboard and paper posters decorated with poppies lined the halls of St. Mary Catholic School for Remembrance Day.
Vicky Jensen-Beirnes, educational assistant at St. Mary and longtime member of the Elora Legion, said this year for Remembrance Day, the school had each class put together their own poster featuring the poppy in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the remembrance poppy.
“They’re going to learn about why there is a poppy, who initiated the poppy and why we’re still doing poppies,” she explained.
Posters were then lined along the entrance and as far as they could reach down the hallways.
Jensen-Beirnes said the goal is to celebrate the poppy, explain its significance to students and why the money continues to go towards the veterans after all these years.
Teachers also spoke with students about different colours of the poppies and what they represent, and a Remembrance Day service was shown through a virtual assembly across the classes.
VICKY JENSEN-BEIRNES
“I’d really like (students) to know more about, this year especially, more about why we are wearing a poppy,” Jensen-Beirnes said.
“They know it’s for the veterans, but I don’t think they really know why, some of them.
“So instead of just putting it on and going ‘here we’ve got a poppy,’ I want them to know why are wearing it still even though it’s so long ago for some of them.”
Jensen-Beirnes said students have taken different and unique approaches to their posters.
“It’s really cute … some of them copied their hand and then they painted a poppy on it,” she explained, adding “there’s all different kinds of poppies, everyone did something different.”
As generations become further removed from Canada’s history and with fewer veterans around, Jensen-Beirnes said it’s all the more important to teach students in this generation about the significance of this day.
“I don’t really think there’s much said about it anymore,” she explained.
“Nobody really knows anybody, especially the younger ones, and I really want them to make sure they celebrate our freedom and that they know why we’re celebrating that specific day.”
Throughout her career Jensen-Beirnes said she’s enjoyed adapting to finding new ways to teach incoming generations, adding it’s taught her a lot as well.
“I really enjoy helping and Remembrance Day is my big thing,” she said. “I love teaching it any way I can.
“And I can get to learn how to change my knowledge according to the generations that I’ve gone through. You have to learn to teach it just a little bit differently.
“I love it, I absolutely love it.”
