Twenty-three students from Huntsville High School (HHS) were able to step away from their textbooks last week and immerse themselves in some of the locations where World War I was waged.
During their nine-day trip, the students got to explore both France and Belgium while seeing first-hand what they had learned in their grade 10 history class.This year marks 100 years since the end of that war, making the experience that much more special to both teachers and students.
“You can learn about history in class but it will never compare to seeing it in person,” said student Victoria Langfeld.
The group visited places such as Vimy Ridge, Dieppe, Ypres, Brussels, and Maisy Battery, concluding their trip in Paris by reaching the top of the Eiffel Tower.
“Our students would be eating their lunches or skipping stones on Juno beach and it really put into perspective how free we all are now because of our Canadian soldiers,” said Vanessa Taylor, teacher at HHS and supervisor on the trip.
The highlight of the trip for many students was being able to see the graves of long lost relatives including great grandfathers and great uncles.
When teachers Trevor Arndt and Jeff Young discovered that students on the trip had relatives in World War I, they knew they had to add it into the trip itinerary.
“It was so touching to see students find their relatives on our trip,” said Arndt. “For many of these individuals who passed during the war, this was the first time any of their family had visited their memorial.”
Hayden Phillips with the headstone of her relative G.B Nelles (supplied photo)
Student Carley Marshall said that the memorials were an important part of the trip for her. “When we went to the cemeteries I wanted to see everyone’s names and acknowledge them. It’s important to remember that they are people that fought and lost their lives and most have never even been visited.”
That kind of connection is what Arndt and Young hope to create with these trips.
“As time goes by, the connection between young people and these historical events disappear. So it’s our job as teachers to make this connection strong again for our students,” said Arndt. “They’re learning a lot more than just history during these trips; they’re learning about themselves.”
(From left) John Musselman, teacher Jeff Young, Ryan Taylor and Ethan Pontes at the Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium, the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in the world (supplied photo)
Over the years teaching history at HHS, Arndt and Young have taken students places such as Italy, Greece and Egypt.
While each student had a different answer for their favourite moment on this trip, all concluded that it was an eye-opening, emotional and life-changing experience for them.
Victoria Langfeld and Charlotte Shakespeare at the John McCrae memorial near Ypres, Belgium. McRae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields. (supplied photo)
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Huntsville High School students at the Vimy Ridge National Memorial, France, last week – and congratulations to their teachers for helping to uncover the complex, controversial national Canadian story with all its diverse perspective, which is so important to acknowledge and understand in the present.
There are now so many superb online resources now available from such reliable and credible sources as CBC Archives, and CBC News. An example from CBC Archives is a recording made in the early 1960s of 80 men – with their voices and reflections – who participated in that epic battle in April 1917: http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/cbc-radio-presents-the-battle-of-vimy-ridge-as-told-by-men-who-fought-there
I just visited those places last month with my son and family. A very moving experience.
So impressed to see how well kept the Cemeteries are for all nationalities.
A trip we will always remember.