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Students at Palmer Secondary School are contributing to this year’s Remembrance Day ceremonies, scheduled for Thursday (Nov. 10).
Photo submitted
Students at Palmer Secondary School are contributing to this year’s Remembrance Day ceremonies, scheduled for Thursday (Nov. 10).
Photo submitted
Palmer students marking Remembrance Day
By Hannah Scott
Published 12:02 PDT, Fri November 4, 2022
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Each year, young Richmondites find innovative ways to observe Remembrance Day at their schools, honouring Armed Forces members who have died in the line of duty.
This year, Palmer secondary is holding two ceremonies on Thursday (Nov. 10), at noon and 2 p.m., with “Striving Towards Peace” as a theme.
“Our drama classes will be performing a skit emphasizing the value of human life, our art classes are creating four focal art displays along with hundreds of white doves that will be ‘flying’ throughout the ceremony location, and our band and choir are performing a few pieces including In Flanders Fields and an acoustic rendition of Us The Duo’s song “Ghost”,” says teacher Ashley van Kralingen.
The school’s concert choir will also perform live at the Nov. 9 school board meeting as well as at the city’s Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 11.
van Kralingen says all speeches and performances will be student-led, working towards the school’s focus on student voice and building a sense of community.
“We have placed our students at the centre of this ceremony, as it gives them a sense of responsibility, leadership, and ownership of the ceremony,” she says. “They are able to focus on the messages they find important, gain valuable skills, and share their learning and passions with the school and Richmond community.”
While the message of Remembrance Day stays the same from one year to the next, each group of students chooses how to mark the day.
“This year we have brought together all the fine arts for an interdisciplinary structure: literature, music, drama, dance, and visual arts will all play a role in this year’s ceremonies. Students are able to contribute to the ceremony in a way that interests them, (allowing) us to bring together a wide variety of students to help plan the ceremony and ensure their voices are at the forefront of the event.”
After two years of cancelled or modified events due to the pandemic, students are excited to gather in-person as a full school community. This allows Palmer to rebuild its sense of community and belonging, according to van Kralingen.
“The connections and relationships within our community are important to student growth and well-being,” she says. “Being able to bring our students together safely has been extremely beneficial, and something students and staff missed greatly.”
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