School Remembrance Projects

Port Perry High School - "We Remember" Time Capsule

To mark the 60th anniversary of D-Day, Grade 10 students from the Durham Region of Ontario have written biographies, songs, poems and more, in commemoration of the honoured veterans of their community with the purpose of learning and sharing their stories. Students placed 187 artifacts in a stainless steel time capsule constructed by the Technical Studies Department at Port Perry High School.

The Juno Beach Centre in France granted the group permission to personally deposit the "We Remember" time capsule on the grounds of the museum. One hundred students from Port Perry High School, Courtice Secondary School and Anderson Collegiate along with 52 teachers and family members travelled to Normandy in June of 2004. The time capsule team invited local students in France to join them at the ceremony on June 5, 2004.

The dedication of these students does not stop with their time capsule. On June 6, 2004 the students woke up at 4:00 a.m. to begin a two hour drive to Courseulles-sur-Mer where they ate breakfast on Juno Beach. Each student served as an usher for veterans at the Juno Beach ceremony and performed a variety of tasks from handing out hats, water, umbrellas and programs to assisting the veterans to their seats. Their day did not end until 4:00 p.m. that afternoon. The most touching moment was seeing these students walk the veterans down to the beach where they had landed 60 years ago. The students all agree that it was an experience they will never forget.

The inception for this project is a story in itself. Dave Robinson, a teacher at Port Perry High School, had an idea of taking students on a trip to Normandy for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day. Meanwhile, Lynn Phillip-Hodgson, an author/historian/councillor from the local community spear headed the time capsule project with his friend Nancy Hamer Strahl, a teacher at Port Perry High School. Dave Robinson planned the trip and handled fund raising, Lynn coordinated with local communities for support and Nancy put together the project's careful records, contacted veterans and collaborated with Juno Beach Centre.

The project received an anonymous donation for $1000.00 to cover finances of managing the time capsule contents. Nancy's two history classes catalogued and scanned the 187 artifacts that are in the time capsule. The project also received full support from the Durham District School Board administration and all levels of government including Scugog Mayor Marilyn Pearce and the former Minister of Veterans Affairs, the Honourable John McCallum. The principal of Port Perry High, Tim Taylor, supported the project one hundred percent and travelled to France with the students to attend the ceremonies.

On June 6th 2044, the capsule will be opened by students who are not yet born, ensuring the torch of remembrance lives on. Thanks to careful records and capsule engravings, participants of the "We Remember" project will also return to Normandy for the 100th anniversary to remember the Veterans from whom they have learned so much.

For more information on the "We Remember" Time Capsule visit the Port Perry Courtice Anderson 60th Anniversary D-Day Tour Web site.