Winnipeg students honour war veterans by laying poppies in Field of Honour Cemetery

Hundreds of students fanned out across a Winnipeg cemetery on Monday morning, kneeled in unison and laid a poppy in the grass in front of the gravestones of fallen soldiers.

Aiden Ferguson, an 11-year-oldcoleRegent Park student, said he was thinking of his great grandfather, who was a veteran, during the moment of silence that followed the ceremony.

"They've made our country better and if they wouldn't have done that I think I wouldn't have been here right now," saidFerguson.

The ceremonyat the Field of Honour in the Transcona Cemetery was part of a national program called No Stone Left Alone, which kicked off Remembrance Week, to have studentspay tribute to veterans.

• Winnipeg students lay poppies on soldiers' graves for Remembrance Day

More than 400 Grade 6 students from four schools in the River East Transcona School Division, Immanuel Christian School and Balmoral School took part in the ceremony.

The national program aims to make sure that all soldiers' headstones have a poppy placed there in honour of their sacrifice in the days leading up to Remembrance Day.

"It was sad but it was also nice to remember those who have fallenand those whohave fought for our country and left behind a lotof families and loved ones," said 11-year-old Chloe Telenko from Arthur Day Middle School.

She said it was the first time she's ever visited a memorial for war veterans.

"I'm grateful that we have free public education andthat we don't have war and bombs everywhere," said Chloe.

Transcona Legion president Cam Wortmansaid the visit to the cemetery is a chance to give the kids a more personal way to honour Manitoba war veterans for the sacrifices they made.

"They're the next generation coming up and they have to learn what their grandfathers, great-grandfatherswent through to give us the lifestyle that we are having today," saidWortman.

Wortmansaid he hopes the national program, which was founded by the No Stone Left Alone Memorial Foundation,will become an annual event at all schools in Manitoba.

Students lay poppies in honour of Winnipeg's fallen

8 years ago

Duration 1:06

Students lay poppies in honour of Winnipeg's fallen during the No Stone Left Alone Remembrance Ceremony at the Transcona Cemetery.

Wortman said the event was emotional, especially for two war veterans from the TransconaLegionthat were there as part of the ceremony.

For TysonVouriot, astudent from John W.GunnMiddle School, it was a chance to reflect on how brave the soldiers were.

"I felt a little bit sad that people sacrificedtheir lives just for Canada tobe great, and it is," said Tyler.