Remembrance Day

It is a sad day, one of loss and hurt, but it is also a happy day, of victory and courage. People of Canada, people of the world, celebrate Remembrance Day by paying respect to all who fought past wars. Red poppies covering our hearts, Brentwood students and staff respectfully seated in the theatre displayed a sea of poppies and the respect they represent.  As a community, Brentwood College School entered the Bunch Theatre on Remembrance Day. The Second World War touched many families, and our Brentwood family is affected to this day. In remembrance, the school holds this annual assembly which allows students who have connections to the war to speak about, or silently remember, those who fought in the war.  The assembly featured speeches, a poem, music, and the choir. The choir performed beautiful, compelling songs that helped channel the emotion that built within the room after listening to such personal narratives.   Aaron H, Privett, ’15, Calder M, Privett, ‘15 and Mr. Bruce Tate spoke about connections their families had to the war. Hearing such intimate accounts of tragedies and hardships that were faced in the past caused many students to realize just how little time has passed since World War II. It is easy for this younger generation to learn about past conflicts and feel separated from them as so much has changed since the 1940s, but these issues are still extremely relevant.  Many former Brentwood students left all they knew—their homes, their families—to fight in a distant war. Ian Gillespie, son of Alastair Gillespie, a Brentwood alumnus for whom our rugby field is named, was one of those students. Reading the names of the students who left to fight allows the Brentwood community to remember, on a personal level, the students who fought for freedom.  The notes of the trumpet, loud and surprising after a moment of silence, left the students and staff gathered to remember resonating with a sense of unity, of history. We excited the building in silence, grateful for our homes, our families, and the world that our late relatives helped form and build, so that we could live in peace.  Featherdawn F, Alex, ’15