Gerald McShane School honours veterans with Remembrance Day ceremony in Montreal North
Posted November 11, 2025 10:22 am.
Last Updated November 11, 2025 4:42 pm.
Across Canada, schools and communities came together Tuesday to honour those who served and sacrificed in times of war and peace.
At Gerald McShane School in Montreal North, students and staff gathered for a Remembrance Day ceremony with Corporal Adam Aktas, a former student and active reservist with the Royal Montreal Regiment.
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The event offered a moment of reflection and gratitude, connecting younger generations with the stories and service of those who came before them.
A soldier returns home
Corporal Adam Aktas returned to the very hallways where his journey began — the same classrooms where he once dreamed of his future.
“I took the initiative to come visit my elementary school, Gerald McShane, because I found that it would have been an honour to just be an example of a student who walked these halls and is now wearing a uniform,” he said. “All the lessons that they’ve learned from elementary school can help build a building block to careers in the future.”
Aktas reflected on the emotional experience of returning to his roots.
“A lot of nostalgia,” he said. “Seeing a lot of staff that I had when I was 12 years old, from five to 12 years old… but it’s great to be back and walk the halls I’ve spent seven years of my life in.”
He says his passion for sports and teamwork eventually led him to military service.
“Through sports I fell in love with the values of teamwork, discipline, leadership — and obviously all those virtues fall into effect when you’re wearing the uniform,” he said.
For Aktas, Remembrance Day carries deep meaning.
“It’s very important because it’s part of our history to remember the fallen soldiers and to understand the importance that it plays in our history and for us to celebrate our safety and freedom,” he said.
He hoped his visit would leave a lasting impression on students.
“I hope that it inspires them to help others around them,” he said. “The friends that you make in the military — they’re like your brothers and sisters.”
Learning through music and reflection
Teachers also helped students connect to the day’s meaning through lessons and creativity.
Music teacher Daniela Alongi said the ceremony and classroom discussions offered a valuable opportunity to teach pride and peace.
“I think it’s really important. I know it shouldn’t be a one-day event, but I think it’s important to use this day to kind of remind them of the sacrifices that so many soldiers had to go through, and soldiers that are still serving in the Army and who served to protect our country,” Alongi said. “It’s a nice reminder for all the kids, even the little ones from Grade 4 all the way to Grade 6, just to remind them and to be proud to be Canadian and to live in a country where we could live in peace and we could do as we wish and just enjoy life.”
Even in her music classes, Alongi wove Remembrance Day lessons into her teaching.
“All the students were asked to learn the national anthem, and we talked a little bit about the history of the anthem — who wrote it, when it was written, and the importance of the words and of being Canadian,” she said. “Through that song they had a lot of questions. I think we spent a one-hour class just trying to answer all their questions about O Canada and about Remembrance Day. That was a great teaching opportunity.”
Alongi added that moments like this should remind everyone to choose peace.
“I hope that we could live in peace every day, and even moments like this where we gather together, it’s really important — even as a school — to get together so that we could bring a little bit of hope and a little bit of peace to everyone and use this day to remind us every day that we need to choose to have peace in our lives,” she said.
Building Canadian pride in the classroom
For French teacher Stephanie Talarico, the day helps students understand Canada’s history of peace and reconciliation.
“We have a very unique history and Canada is known for its peace and acts of reconciliation,” Talarico said. “I think that it’s an important part of the students’ education — learning about our Canadian history and developing their Canadian pride, knowing that the country that we live in is a beautiful, wonderful and peaceful country.”
Talarico said understanding the past helps students look toward the future.
“In learning about our Canadian history, it will help them have a better understanding of the unique role that we’ve played in the past and hopefully in our country’s future as well,” she said.
The school’s hallways were lined with artwork created by students under the guidance of art teacher Stephanie Spiezia, with each piece honouring veterans and celebrating peace.
Students reflect on the meaning of remembrance
Grade 6 student Alessandro said the day is about respect and gratitude.
“Remembrance Day means to me to remember all those soldiers who risked their lives, even the younger ones from 16 to 17 years old,” he said. “It’s a very important day to all those soldiers.”
He said having a veteran visit the school made the message more powerful.
“To have the opportunity that a soldier actually come to have a nice speech with us,” he said.
His classmate Ava said the ceremony deepened her understanding of the day’s importance.
“Remembrance Day to me means to remember all of the soldiers who have fought and sacrificed their life for our freedom,” she said. “It’s really important because it represents their sacrifices, and life wouldn’t be the same without them.”
“I think it’s really cool that our school can have this ceremony and have the military come to us and it really helps us understand why we celebrate Remembrance Day,” she added.
A moment to remember
As students and staff stood for the moment of silence, the halls of Gerald McShane filled with quiet reflection — a reminder that the lessons of remembrance begin in classrooms but live on in the hearts of those who carry them forward.
