Vista Virtual School typically marks Remembrance Day (November 11) with an in-person event, usually a military history-themed field trip of some kind. Last year VVS students attended events at the Loyal Edmonton Regiment Museum and the Military Museums of Calgary.

This year, however, the Canadian Armed Forces have cancelled all in-person Remembrance Day events due to COVID-19.

Instead, for the week leading up to Remembrance Day (November 5 – 11), in lieu of the usual in-person events, we will be providing video content developed by the Department of National Defence as part of the National Veterans’ Week Speakers Program.

The following CAF videos pay tribute to Canadian veterans, past and present, and are geared for specific age levels. These can be viewed in lieu of an in-person presentation.

• Video of CAF speakers: message for children in kindergarten to grade 2
• Video of CAF speakers: message for youths in grades 3 to 6
• Video of CAF speakers: message for teens in grades 7 to 12
• Video of CAF speakers: message for all age groups

The Canadian Forces have also developed the following videos for use in a virtual Remembrance Day ceremony:

• Royal Canadian Artillery Band – O Canada
• Royal Canadian Artillery Band – Last Post video
• Royal Canadian Artillery Band – Rouse video
• Royal Canadian Artillery Band – Lament video
• Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers reciting poem “In Flanders Fields”
• A video geared towards mature audiences on the mission in Afghanistan and set to the music of The Trews’ song “Highway of Heroes”
• Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Stories video collection
• Veterans Affairs Canada’s – Faces of Freedom video collection

Teachers and parents/guardians are invited to use this material as you see fit, and are welcome to share it on their personal social media pages. Any further questions can be directed to the National Veterans’ Week Speakers Program national coordinator at 1-833-223-8322 or via email at: DNDRemembrance.SouvenirMDN@forces.gc.ca.