On a drizzly morning in Jasper, Nov. 6, a group of students and community members gathered to remember.
They were spread out across the Jasper Cemetery as part of No Stone Left Alone, an initiative that aims to ensure the headstones of every war veteran buried in Jasper are marked with a poppy for Remembrance Day.
Jasper was the first town to adopt the initiative outside of its birth city of Edmonton. No Stone Left Alone started with Maureen Bianchini-Purvis, whose parents both served in the Second World War.
She had been marking their graves with poppies for years, and then one year her daughter asked why all soldiers didn’t get one. That question sparked the initiative, which has spread to cities and towns across the province since 2011, and engaged Grade 8 students from schools in the area.
For the second year, Grade 8 students from the Jasper Junior/Senior High School placed poppies on more than 60 headstones, marking Jasper’s war veterans, service people and those held in Second World War concentration camps.
Thomas McKenny was one of those students. His grandfather fought in the Second World War, and McKenny said he hopes he and his classmates’ efforts ensure those affected by the war in Jasper aren’t forgotten.
“I think it’s a really good way to remember the veterans and what they did,” he said.
Standing beside him, Ethan Morin chimed in that he was surprised by how many people in the cemetery had a connection to the war.
“It’s quite an honour to be here,” he said.
After all the poppies were placed, the students gathered for a moment of silence, after which Rev. David Prowse recited the Act of Remembrance.
And while the event was powerful for the students placing the poppies, it was also moving for community members who were present.
After the ceremony, Sarah Warren moved through the crowd handing out commemorative Remembrance Day quarters to all of the students.
Warren explained that she has been saving the coins for years—picking them out of her change and buying them from the till—so that when she crossed paths with a veteran she could give them one, to show her appreciation.
When she heard about No Stone Left Alone, she wanted the kids to have something to remember what they did, and she thought of the quarters.
Warren explained that she has family that connect her to the war, so she feels that connection, “but each generation after is not necessarily going to have that contact,” she said.
“While we’re thankful for that—we want them to have something to make that connection, that reminder. That is why I really, really desired with all my heart to have enough coins for everybody.”
She said that she is proud of the community of Jasper for taking such meaningful steps to highlight the sacrifices war veterans have made. She was especially grateful, she said, that the town’s young people were involved.
“It’s a privilege. It’s a privilege to be here and be a part of this, and it’s a privilege to be a part of this community. And these kids, they really are a big part of this community.”
Trevor Nichols
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