A group of students from St. Joseph’s Catholic Secondary School (SJCSS) recently returned from a once-in-a-lifetime journey through Europe, where they joined nearly 1,000 students from across Canada to mark the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands during the Second World War.
The VE80 trip took students through the Netherlands, Belgium, and France before ending in Paris. Along the way, they visited major World War I and II battle sites, memorials, and museums. It was a deeply emotional and educational experience, blending classroom knowledge with living history in a way few textbooks can match.
“I hope students gained a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices made during WWI and WWII, and a personal connection to the history that shaped our world,” said Madison Frechette, SJCSS teacher and program lead for the trip. “While visiting various Commonwealth War Graves, students connected names and dates to real lives and stories.”
The itinerary included stops at the John Frost Bridge in Arnhem, the Overloon War Museum, Passchendaele trenches, Tyne Cot Cemetery, the Menin Gate, and the Vimy Ridge Memorial—Canadian national historic sites of remembrance.
Students also had cultural experiences in Amsterdam and Paris, including visits to the Anne Frank House, the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower.
But it was the ceremony at Bergen op Zoom Canadian War Cemetery that left the deepest impact. Each Canadian student stood beside a soldier’s grave, silently paying tribute. Grade 11 student Siobhan McNairn had the honour of laying the wreath on behalf of SJCSS.
“That moment is something I will never forget,” said McNairn. “It was the realization that many of these soldiers were just like those standing there that day—my age, far from home, giving their lives for something bigger. That feeling is something I could never have understood without the experience.”
McNairn was moved not only by the ceremony, but also by what she saw while waiting for it to begin.
“Everywhere I looked was someone my age, standing beside a grave. Rows and rows of us, representing Canadians. It brought tears to my eyes. The silence was powerful.”
For Principal Joy Martel, the ceremony captured the essence of the entire trip. “To see approximately 1,000 students from across Canada respectfully engage in this event, knowing they had done the prior learning and work to understand the significance, was incredible,” said Martel.
“We met students from across the country, while travelling across four countries to acknowledge the role that Canada played, and the sacrifices made.”
Beyond its historical importance, the journey fostered personal growth. “Trips like VE80 offer students a powerful opportunity to connect classroom learning to real-world history, while also building independence, confidence, and cultural awareness,” added Frechette.
Martel agreed, saying, “Walking through the Anne Frank House, visiting Vimy Ridge, and learning through museums created opportunities for authentic learning and deeper engagement that extended far beyond the classroom.”
For McNairn, one of the most memorable moments came at Tyne Cot Cemetery. “Everywhere you looked was a soldier from another place—an Australian beside an Egyptian, a British beside a German. Even though they were on different sides, they were all buried there together. It was so meaningful. In this place that had been so full of fear, now there was peace.”
While the trip ended with sightseeing in Paris—from the Latin Quarter and Eiffel Tower to the Louvre and Paris Observatory—it was the commemorations that left a lasting mark.
“During the celebrations and tributes at Bergen op Zoom, the sight of about 1,000 Canadian students standing beside the graves of fallen Canadians was unforgettable,” said Frechette.
McNairn summed up the impact of the trip best:
“All my life, history has been important to me. But seeing it with my own eyes changed everything. The scale, the emotion, the silence—it’s something I’ll carry with me forever.”
As the students returned to Cornwall, they brought with them not only memories and souvenirs, but also a deeper understanding of the past—and the privilege of remembering it.
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