HOPE LIVES AT LRHS

A few days ago i wrote an article about, "Earning It", making reference to a famous line in the movie, Saving Private Ryan. That blog dealt with the idea that to date, mankind has failed quite miserably at, "Earning" the sacrifice so many men and women made for us serving during the worlds major wars. After posting the blog i received a question from an old friend who asked, "what ideas I had for fixing the issues i raised in the blog"? I responded back that if i knew the answers i would be a politician. Well, yesterday afternoon I had the privilege of attending the LRHS (Laurentian Regional High School) Remembrance day ceremonies in Lachute, Quebec. After these ceremonies which are entirely created, developed, produced and presented by the students it came to me that perhaps the answer to my old friends question was, I might not have any answers but I think the young adults of LRHS just might. In fact maybe the hope of, "Earning It" lives at LRHS.


The one hour plus presentation in its scope and magnitude was awe inspiring. The students through the help of some very dedicated, insightful and wise teachers covered a broad spectrum of issues dealing with the effects of war, its impact and ultimately its tie-in to current day issues such as forgiveness and bullying. The presentations included readings, videos and songs which demonstrated to me that perhaps these young adults have a much better understanding of the repercussions of war and violence then the adults attending the ceremony. Their comprehension of the issue was so deep that i was left stunned. In the front rows of the packed auditorium were some of the fewer and fewer Veterans from those conflicts. There was one younger soldier, himself a Veteran, who has assisted the students in their development of their presentation. Apparently he has been helping them over the last 5 years. You could tell by the silence in the auditorium during the the presentation that not only those students involved in creating it but those who were in attendance understood the importance of it all. There was no horsing around, no nonsense, just a type of silence that is not cumbersome but almost peaceful. It was a demonstration of respect that moved me.

At the begining of the presentation a slide show blazed across the screen showing images of conflicts, wars, violence, terrorism and hate; with a message being asked, "who was going to stop it"? The answer was. "We are". The slides then transformed from all this violence to show the greatest possibilities of humanity; our ability to love, not hate, to help, to fix, to build and to care about our fellow man and women. It was indeed an indication that demonstrated that these students understood that they might posses the key to a different path, a different future. There was a beautiful song sung by Marissa LeGallee that turned the auditorium into a hall of somber reflection. An incredible set of readings including one from the cousin of a vibrant, young and talented 30 year old environmental engineer who had gone to Haiti just days before the earthquake to practice her profession for the betterment of the Haitian people. This young women never came back, her life ended by the earthquake that so devastated that region. There was a reading of depth from a young student about her Grandmother, a women who had witnessed the brutality of war. This young girl now telling her grandmother that she understood the reasons why her Grandmother was the way she was and thanking her for the wisdom she had shared. There was a reading about the connection between war and bullying which so clearly captured the worst of mankind and how regardless of age or context there is an undeniable relationship. A fantastic video was prepared where a couple of students went to local elementary schools to interview young children and get their interpretation of the meaning of words related to war (soldiers, peace , loss, etc). The most resounding thing that came from this video was the wisdom of very young children and our adult tendency to believe they know very little when infact they often know more then we do. From these interviews the LRHS students wrote a song and made a video called "Thank you". It was extremely well done and they if they have not already post it on, "You Tube" they should.

The end of the ceremony had a bugle player rise and begin playing, the, "Last Post". In the front row an older Veteran slowly rose to his feet, almost alone, for what seemed like a long time but was mere seconds. It was fitting, it seemed like the way it should be; a soldier alone, facing the demonds that haunt men, standing alone to face the unsupportable reality of it all. As I began to stand I was amazed as the young audience also slowly rose to its feet without being promted. The sound of hundreds of chairs folding back up against themselves as the these young adults came to their feet was a magnificant demonstration of respect, the bugle played but the silence was deafening, it was overwhelming in its meaning. During this the pictures, names, ranks and incident of Canadian soldiers who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom in the most recent conflicts. Their faces looking out at the adults and students in the darkened auditorium on a 14 foot by 10 ft screen. You could see in the eyes of these soldiers the lost opportunity, the lost lives not lived. You could feel the enormity of the sacrifice. These pictures taken at a better time when war had yet to touch them or their families lives. Young men and women making the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom. Giving so that those in the audience could have the opportunity that they themselves shall never realize. The silence of this moment had a weight which 50 elephants sitting on your chest could not duplicate. I am sure that if you had turned on the auditorium lights at that moment you would have seen on the faces of those attending that the impact was not lost on them. The ending of the ceremony had my son introducing the director of the regional school board to say a few words. In his address he chose to read a recently published newspaper article from a kindergarten teacher who described the challenge she faced in explaining war to her very, very young audience. In the end she chose not to push the subject because she felt that giving them another day of innocence was perhaps more important and more valuable then exposing them to the grotesqueness of war. It was a fitting ending.


So my friends, a few days ago i didn't have many ideas about the solutions to help mankind ultimately, "Earn It". I was not sure what actions to take, to make those men and women of the military's sacrifice count, To truly mean something. Well in fact the actions and the ways to make it count was demonstrated and found in what one might consider the last place you might look. I found it in a quiet, dark auditorium surrounded by young people who made me believe that perhaps, just perhaps, the HOPE of humanity, "Earning It" could be found at LRHS in Lachute, Quebec. You young adults were truly awesome!

Rob Hellstrom