The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
It isn't possible that the November 10th Remembrance Day Ceremony held at J.H. Kerr School could have been any more heart warming. To witness the hush that came over the entire student population when Elaine Samborski took hold of the microphone was a moving moment to behold. The K-S4 students listened quietly and intently as Samborski related her mother, Doreen Armsworthy's feelings on seeing all of her brothers go off to service during World War II. It was a very poignant narration of how the war affected a family and how they faced the prospect, and reality in one instance, of some of them not coming home. The students took particular notice when Samborski told of how her mother's youngest brother signed up to go overseas at the age of 15. See 'Signed' P.# Con't from P.# "He turned 16 in France," she said. "My Grandmother said that she would tell the authorities his real age, but he told her it wouldn't matter, he'd just go somewhere else and sign up." The realization that some of the participants in this horrific war were the same age as a good number of those in the gym on this day had an obvious impact and there were tears in a number of eyes during Mrs. Samborski's address. This is the second year now that the school has tried to emphasize the war's local impact during their Remembrance Day Ceremony. Along with inviting all of Snow Lake's Veterans (Mrs. Armsworthy is also a Veteran) to the ceremony, they had the Legion's Colour Party in attendance and put on a luncheon for them all after the ceremony. Students from various grade levels also took part in the ceremony. Some recited poems, some sang songs, and the grade 5 class, after explaining the significance of "the Peace Crane" handed one out to each attendee as they left the ceremony. The administration, office staff, teachers and teacher's assistants should all be commended for the fine job they do in making students aware of the horrors of war and the value of peace. Still on Remembrance Day, the community service, which is sponsored and staged by the Legion was, as always, extremely well attended (approximately 150 people). As she did last year, Stephanie Borchardt brought forth the ceremony's message. She also based it upon the youth absorbed by the two world wars, drawing comparisons between the youth of today and the youth of those eras. Her message was thought provoking and certainly wasn't lost on anyone at the gathering, which included a fair number of the community's youth. Also, just before Borchardt delivered her stirring address, Lola Leclair, Gwen Foord, and Alan Beilman brought Kleenex to eyes with a perfect rendition of the Dixie Chicks' "Travellin Soldier". As always the ceremony ended with the march to the community cenotaph, the laying of the wreaths, and fellowship and a delicious lunch in the Legion afterwards.
