Skip to content

No stone left alone honours local veterans

Students from South Park Elementary take park in moving ceremony
no-stone-left-alone-collage-1-768x768
On Wednesday, Nov. 9, more than 80 students from three South Park Elementary grade 6/7 classes visited Boundary Bay Cemetery in Tsawwassen to take part in a moving ceremony to remember and honour veterans laid to rest there.

On Wednesday, Nov. 9, more than 80 students from three South Park Elementary grade 6/7 classes visited Boundary Bay Cemetery in Tsawwassen to take part in a moving ceremony to remember and honour veterans laid to rest there.

Teacher Madame Hélène Hamilton worked with the City of Delta and the Tsawwassen branch of the Royal Canadian Legion to organize the inaugural No Stone Left Alone memorial event.

“My grandfather was a Second World War veteran in the Canadian Air Force. My uncles also served in the military, so I am passionate about encouraging respect and gratitude for the service and sacrifice of veterans,” said Hamilton. “I spent 10 years as a paramedic in Calgary before returning to my teaching career and during that time I attended many No Stone Left Alone events. When I started working at South Park Elementary earlier this year, I was keen to see if we could bring this wonderful initiative to South Park students so that they could engage in a personal act of remembrance and hopefully gain a better understanding of the sacrifices made by veterans that give us the peace and freedoms we enjoy today.”

During the ceremony, Royal Canadian Legion Tsawwassen Branch president Ken Harvey delivered the Act of Remembrance. After the Last Post, students observed two minutes’ silence before a wreath was placed at the Cross of Sacrifice. Each student then made their way to an assigned gravestone where they said the veteran’s name aloud and then took a moment of silence to reflect on the veteran’s service and sacrifice. All students had previously painted a poppy on a stone, which they then placed at the Cross of Sacrifice in honour of their assigned veteran.

“It is great to see so many youngsters here today honouring our veterans,” said Harvey. “It is so important for young people to be aware of the sacrifices veterans made and to truly understand the meaning and importance of Remembrance Day so that we can continue to honour our veterans every year, forever.”