‘It just wrapped up everything we did’: UCDSB students debut history project film at Brockville Arts Centre
A group of Upper Canada District School Board students are sharing the impact of a life-changing educational experience through a new documentary that chronicles their 10-day tour of First World War battlefields in Europe.
Sixteen students involved in the We Were Here history project, a partnership between the Hill 70 Memorial Group and the UCDSB, launched the 20-minute documentary in early June. The video follows the students as they visited key historical sites in France and Belgium in October 2024, including the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, Hill 70, the Brooding Soldier, Notre Dame de Lorette, and the Langemark German war cemetery.
For Grade 11 students Lilly Taylor and AJ Irvine of Athens District High School, the project has spanned two school years and will continue in the fall. Students were assigned a fallen soldier’s case file and asked to research and help identify the individual.
“When we started putting the data in, that got me really interested because I could see this was a specific person and I could see into their life, not just a group of people from the past. That is what got me hooked. I wasn’t really interested in history before this,” said Irvine.
Taylor, who has long had an interest in history, said the experience was deeply emotional and memorable.
“Menin Gate [Memorial] is a giant arch in Ypres, Belgium that has the names of soldiers who lost their lives in the war engraved all on the inside. Every night there’s a remembrance ceremony held there, and wreaths are laid. I had the chance to lay a wreath myself, which is, I think, a once-in-a-lifetime chance. It was absolutely amazing. It was at the end of our trip, and it was incredibly emotional. It just wrapped up everything we did.”
The documentary premiered at the Brockville Arts Centre in front of family members, friends, veterans, school board officials, and members of the Hill 70 Memorial Group.
“Giving students a first-hand look at battlefields and having them learn the history that was made in those places, and then witnessing the student’s reaction through this documentary – it was more than moving,” said Colonel Mark Hutchings, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Hill 70 Foundation. “As a veteran, it’s comforting to know that students are still learning about the sacrifices that were made and are truly experiencing the history of it all. I could tell from the student’s reactions that what they learned, it will be something they remember and an experience they will share with others for a long time.”
The video will be distributed to schools this fall as the next round of We Were Here projects begins, leading up to the 2025 student trip.
“I hope this video also inspires more students to apply for this trip. It’s such an important and impactful experience for anybody who goes,” said Taylor.
View the video below.