St. Thomas More Honours Canada’s Heroes at Remembrance Day Assembly
On November 11, 2025, the St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School community gathered in silence to pay tribute to those who have served and sacrificed for the freedoms Canadians enjoy today.
Leading the ceremony, Teacher Stefano Giovannangeli posed the question, “Why do we remember?”
“We pause not simply to mark a moment in time, but to remember the countless individuals who stood in the face of fear, uncertainty, and sacrifice so that we can live in freedom.”
“Behind every poppy lies a story. A story of courage and loss, of families waiting and lives forever changed. It is easy, in the comfort of our modern lives, to let those stories fade into the history books,” he added. “But Remembrance Day asks more of us.”
“When we stand in silence, we honour those stories, we honour the soldiers who never came home, the veterans who live with the weight of their experiences and those living with life-changing injuries, and the ordinary people whose acts of bravery shaped the world we inherit.”
Highlights of the event included special guests Master Corporal Barone, a military Career Counsellor/Recruiter with the Canadian Forces, who spoke about what remembrance means to him, offering personal reflections on service and sacrifice.
The assembly also featured a slideshow presentation and a tribute from STM’s Competitive Dance Team, honouring the emotional cost of war through movement.
The assembly concluded with a “Commitment to Remember,” recited together by the entire school community: “We will remember them.” As the haunting sound of the bagpipes filled the gym once again, students quietly made their way out.
“Remembrance is not only about the past,” said Giovannangeli. “It is also about our present and our future. It reminds us that peace is fragile, that freedom demands responsibility, and that empathy is one of the most powerful weapons we have against hatred and division.”
Close by, staff and students at St. Thérèse of Lisieux Catholic Elementary School lined the streets of Rymal Road with homemade poppies as a public display of gratitude for those who served. A visit to Chartwell Deerview Crossing Retirement Residence where they shared their Remembrance Day artwork with residents concluded the day.
