Students Take Part in No Stone Left Alone Project

A group of Grade 4 students from Highland Park had the opportunity to participate in the No Stone Left Alone ceremony at Armstrong-Spallumcheen Cemetery on Friday, November 1, 2024.

Students in Duncan Hazlewood’s class joined representatives of the Colour Guard, the Dragoons, and various dignitaries to honour service men and women who are buried at the Armstrong-Spallumcheen Cemetery. During the ceremony, students read In Flanders Fields, laid a wreath, and made a pledge to remember those who have serve to protect our rights and freedoms.

After the ceremony, students were led by volunteers around the ceremony, placing poppies on graves of 72 of the nearly 300 veterans who are buried there. Hazlewood, who is also the vice-principal at Highland Park, comments for some students, it was their first visit to a cemetery, and many meaningful connections were made.

“It was so special to do an act of remembrance in a sacred site such as this, and was very meaningful for all who attended. Special thanks to Lawrna Myers, from the No Stone Left Alone Foundation, for organizing such a rich and respectful activity. Thanks also to Councillors Andrew Casson and Neil Todd, the British Columbia Dragoons, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 35 – Armstrong, and the Interior Provincial Exhibition & Stampede for your gracious participation,” he adds.

The No Stone Left Alone campaign is dedicated to honouring and remembering Canada’s veterans. The program offers students and youth an authentic experience that creates knowledge, understanding, and appreciation for those who serve and for the sacrifices made by Canada’s fallen. Officially launched in 2011, the initiative builds a lassting national respect and gratitude for the Canadian men and women who have lost their lives in service of peace, both at home and abroad. Founder Maureen Bianchini Purvis, whose mother was a WWII veteran, envisions a future where every soldier’s headstone has a poppy placed in their honour, fulfilling the goal of leaving truly “No Stone Left Alone.”

Students at Bastion Elementary will soon be taking part in a similar program in Salmon Arm., with schools throughout the District holding Remembrance Day activities and assemblies this week.

Participation in the No Stone Left Alone program supports the goals of the SD83 Strategic Plan, as it strengthens partnerships and encourages students to build connections to their history and community.