Captain Jackie Girvan grew up in Oshawa and went to Beau Valley Public School. She attended Eastdale CVI from 2001 until her graduation in 2005. Her fondest memories of Eastdale are the rugby team, the swim team, Mr. Ptak’s English and History classes as well as Leadership Camp. After Prom at Tosca and Prom Weekend in Sunshine Park she took off to basic training and never looked back. After highschool, she completed her Honours Degree in Psychology at the Royal Military College of Canada, and became a varsity athlete in the sport of fencing.
In fifteen years, she has travelled the world as a military athlete to Brazil, Venezuela, Japan, France, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Cuba, England and the USA. Her career highlight was Captain of the Women’s Fencing Team and the Military World Games in China in 2019.
She deployed to Afghanistan in 2013 as a logistics advisor to the Afghan National Army in Northern Kabul. She asserts “it was one of the most rewarding, exhilarating, and challenging experiences of her life.
She currently works as an organizational psychologist in the personnel selection branch and is busy raising her young family along with her husband Major Matt Girvan. She loves her military career and thanks the great teachers at Eastdale for supporting her to pursue this career path.
Cpl Kazmirchuk graduated from Eastdale in 2005 and some of her best memories are playing rugby and law class with Ms. Underwood. After high school she went to Durham College and graduated from the Paralegal program in 2008. She began working in downtown Toronto as a Law Clerk/Legal Assistant and after 7 years decided to change her career path and in 2015 she enrolled in the military. Basic training began two days after her enrollment ceremony in St.-Jean, QC. She is currently a Human Resource Administrator however she also teaches specialty training. Cpl Kazmirchuk works at the Canadian Defence Academy in Kingston, Ontario. Despite being someone who mostly works in an office setting, Cpl Kazmirchuk has been given unique opportunities like flying in a Griffin, a Close Quarter Combat, travelling and exploring areas of Canada and even furthering her education. She is currently completing her degree with the University of Athabasca. November 11 is by far one of the most important days of the year. It is not something we look forward to, we do not celebrate it with presents, candies or lavish decorations. It is a somber day where Canadian citizens are asked to share a moment of silence, wear a poppy and think about all of the sacrifices that have been made by military members for over 100 years.
I joined the military five years ago and my view of Remembrance Day has changed completely. Now when I wear the poppy not only do I think about all of the lives lost through war and the many sacrifices that have been made; but I think about the everyday sacrifices that are made by military members and their families. You won't see news articles about these everyday heroes or what military members go through day in and day out. It is a career that carries a strong and important history. It is one that is dedicated to serving Canada and ensuring that its’ citizens are protected.
This year on Remembrance Day take time to not only remember the major wars Canadians have fought but also remember that there will be families that have an empty seat at their table for Christmas. Their loved ones are either away training, deployed overseas, unable to travel because of an injury or have lost their lives. Remembrance Day should be a time to think about the sacrifices military members have made, continue to make and what it means to be Canadian.
Cpl Kazmirchuk
Originally designed by Historica, The Memory Project is now housed at the Canadian Encyclopedia. It contains first hand accounts and primary source artifacts related to veterans of military conflict in Canada. These are short and student friendly write-ups, including personal primary source items, that can easily be used for a small reflection task or assignment. Additionally, teachers could have pairs or groups of students choose an account and report back to the class.
The Remembrance Day section of the War Museum provides resources to deliver engaging discussions, lessons and ceremonies. Teachers and students can search by topic (including the involvement of women, indigenous, and black Canadians in war), or by resource type. There are excellent extension activities and discussions ready to go.
Having your students take on a particular and present back to the class is a great way to bring war history alive.
More specific to World War 1, this Remembrance Day page also looks at World War 1 monuments in Canada.
This is a useful website for extension reading. Teachers could alternatively have students select a war memorial and report back to the class.
GOVERNMENT OF CANADA - WRITE TO THE TROOPS
The Government of Canada facilitates writing to troops stationed throughout the world. There are options for Facebook, a digital message, or to send through snail mail as well.
This is a great extension activity that can be done at any time. The added benefit is the writing of the letter is a reward unto itself. This would work great for a final day activity on Remembrance Day.
Library and Archives Canada is a massive database of military service records, from virtually all conflicts with Canadian soldiers.
The records include muster rolls, military service files, unit war diaries, medal registers, photographic collections, documentary art and posters, as well as published sources.
This is a great springboard for students to search for their own relatives or specific local soldiers.
https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/Pages/military-heritage.aspx
FOR HISTORY AND CIVICS TEACHERS:
THE LEST WE FORGET PROJECT
This database also contains the Lest We Forget Project. The Lest We Forget project provides an opportunity for students to conduct primary research, encouraging their skills in writing essays and in using the computer to access historical documents and databases. Students are tasked with researching and writing about individuals who served in the First and Second World Wars.
For teachers looking to engage students in HOW to think about historical events, Historica Canada has created numerous “Think Like a Historian” activities that use primary sources to engage students in thinking about historical events.
These are "Ready to Go" activities for the classroom. Great for a final day in the course to commemorate Remembrance Day.
VETERAN AFFAIRS
There are many fantastic lessons, worksheets, and activities listed in the Classroom section of Veteran Affairs.
VETERAN AFFAIRS - HEROES REMEMBER
Here you can find oral testimonies from soldiers who were there in a variety of Canadian conflicts. Students and teachers can search and watch video interviews with an easy-to-use interface. Very powerful way to make connections for students. and hear directly from veterans.
Watching an interview and completing a brief biography of a Canadian Soldier could be an excellent extension activity.
Many Canadians are unaware that they can request the military service records of members of their family.
Again, this is a fantastic way to engage students with their own family history and learn more about the accomplishments of their relatives.
Learn more about the Juno Beach Centre, where Canadians landed during the D-Day landings in World War II.
Check out the Legion's website for information on Remembrance Day and to virtually see the Wall of Honour and Remembrance
Learn about what you can do for Remembrance Day.
Learn about what Toronto is doing to celebrate Remembrance Day in this unusual year.
Learn about what Ontario is doing to celebrate Remembrance day in this unusual year.
Check out this website for what different provinces do on Remembrance Day.
Over the Top is an interactive adventure that allows you to experience the life in the trenches during the First World War.