By Geoff Smith (@smithco on Twitter)

Local students to attend Vimy Ridge centennial in France

Mar 24, 2017 | 9:58 AM

LETHBRIDGE – A group of Lethbridge high school students will be part of living history in April.

Approximately 40 students from Catholic Central High School will attend the 100th anniversary commemoration of the battle of Vimy Ridge in France. They’ll be among a crowd that will include Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of the Royal Family.

“I think that it’s important for us to go to remember what happened, and because it’s such a big part of Canadians’ history,” Grade 12 student Carly Spoulos said. “To go and see it for ourselves, you get a better understanding rather than just reading it from a textbook in class.”

All four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together, side-by-side, for the first time in the four-day First World War battle, which began April 9, 1917 and included troops from the Lethbridge area. Roughly 3,600 Canadians were killed.

“I thought it would be a good experience just to see what the conditions would have been like over there, and just how the fighting would have happened, and learn a bit more about Canada’s part in the war,” said Austin Sanders, a Grade 10 student.

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Grade 12 student Janae Jurgens said she knew nothing about Vimy Ridge prior to learning about the trip.  Given the time that has passed, she said this will help keep the knowledge alive.

“I guess the people who are related and the people who know what went on are doing their best. And having this celebration for the 100th year is really bringing a lot of knowledge to the younger youth like us.”

Spoulos agrees.

“I think that we talk about it so much in school, and we watch things on TV, and it’s stuff like this that helps us remember, and it’s always going to live amongst everybody,” she said.

The group will be in Europe from April 3-11. They will also visit London, Paris, and the Juno Beach D-Day monument.