By Ashley Wiebe

VIDEO: Students participate in No Stone Left Alone ceremony

Nov 7, 2017 | 2:20 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Students from Ecole St. Thomas d’Aquin saw first-hand the sacrifices hundreds of soldiers made during the war.

Standing beneath the Cross of Sacrifice, tucked inside Hillside Cemetery, students gathered to pay their respects to the soldiers who fought and died for our country.

“For myself, I’m just so appreciate every time I see members of the community, and the children especially, remembering those sacrifices,” said Captain Holly Turnbull, a Canadian Armed Forces member with the South Alberta Light Horse.

It was part of the No Stone Left Alone ceremony. Canadian Armed Forces members from the South Alberta Light Horse regiment took part, along with members of the Medicine Hat Legion and Ladies Auxiliary.

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“This is our way of teaching them about what generations before us had gone through so that we can live the life that we live,” said school principal Terry Kennedy. “We’re very privileged here in Canada and it’s important to pass that message on, that it hasn’t always been that way or it may not have ended up that way.”

Students walked with purpose, making sure that no headstone was left untouched or forgotten.

“Each child had at least 10 poppies […] and they knelt down in front of the headstone, placed a poppy in front of it and said the name of the soldier, just to recognize what they’ve done for our country,” said organizer Trish Richard.

“This is a really good opportunity for them to be able to see, really physically, how many people sacrificed for us just here in Medicine Hat,” Turnbull added.

Kennedy added what’s even more important is the understanding behind Remembrance Day and knowing why we must never forget about the men and woman who served.

“The first step is finding that connection with them,” he said. “Almost all students have a family member somewhere that have served in the military at one time or another.”

“Even though they’re younger and they don’t understand all of it, I mean, they don’t need to know the dates of the battles or the names of the battles, but seeing the sacrifice here, I think absolutely they understands,” Turnbull said.

“So often we go through the ceremony and not really understand why we’re doing it so I think it had a great impact on them,” Richard added.