Lest We Forget
A Letter from John Liggett, Head of School
I think everyone would agree that The Country Day School conducts our Remembrance Day ceremonies particularly well. As such, it was a tremendous honour, as Head of School, to bring a personal Remembrance Day message yesterday to the Middle/Senior and Junior School assemblies. Below is an excerpt of what I shared.
I think everyone would agree that The Country Day School conducts our Remembrance Day ceremonies particularly well. As such, it was a tremendous honour, as Head of School, to bring a personal Remembrance Day message yesterday to the Middle/Senior and Junior School assemblies. Below is an excerpt of what I shared.
This past summer, I had the opportunity to cycle across much of Belgium and Holland in order to visit about a dozen Commonwealth War Cemeteries where some 5000 Canadian soldiers have been laid to rest.
Canadian graves include the typical details such as name, rank and age of the soldier, but they also share something very special. They contain a particular remembrance or saying, fashioned by the surviving family to honour the fallen. Having visited a large number of graves, I began to observe that some of the epitaphs contained rather bold messages – messages that were created in order to instruct us, in the future to take notice. Through these voices I was hearing:
We down here below the ground
We paid a price
To correct injustice
To put the world right
Don’t forget – we died
We died, so you could be free
We paid a price
To correct injustice
To put the world right
Don’t forget – we died
We died, so you could be free
So now you up there
Do everything you can
Everything you can
To make sure
We don’t have wars like this again
Do everything you can
Everything you can
To make sure
We don’t have wars like this again
Our soldiers were telling us – Our soldiers are challenging us
To never forget
And I am immensely proud that The Country Day School does remember.
John Liggett
Head of School
Land Acknowledgment
The Country Day School wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. Our nearest Indigenous Nations are now the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant is often cited as an example of the shared responsibility for caring for these lands among the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples who would call these their traditional territories. CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection to this land can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations.
School Information
13415 Dufferin Street King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
