Grade 6 students in Almonte, Ont. campaign to have local veteran's name added to cenotaph
A 100-year-old mistake in the town of Almonte, Ont. will soon be corrected, thanks to a group of Grade 6 students.
The students in Jean Grant-Kearney's class have spent much of the year researching Private George Monterville, an Almonte native and First World War veteran.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Monterville signed up to serve at the age of 34, and returned to Almonte after the war. He died on home soil from injuries suffered in battle at the age of 39.
Just a couple years later, the Almonte Cenotaph was constructed with the names of local veterans engraved upon it, but Monterville was left off.
"We found out that his name was not on the Almonte cenotaph," said 12-year-old Olivia Giardini. "So we decided to make a real life learning project, and we wanted to get his name on the cenotaph."
Jean Grant-Kearney's Grade 6 class at R. Tait McKenzie Public School in Almonte, Ont. MWO Michael Wiggins (left) is featured alongside the class. April 11, 2024. (Dylan Dyson/CTV News Ottawa)
Since November, the class has been campaigning to add Monterville's name to the cenotaph by contacting the mayor and making presentations to the legion.
"For the students, it's important for them to make connections to their town. It's important for us to also remember our veterans, not just leading up to Remembrance Day, but always," said Grant-Kearney.
"I think it was kind of unfair because he was not on the cenotaph with all of his comrades and all of his friends, even though he was one of the first to sign up," said 11-year-old Owen Anderson.
Almonte Legion Parade Marshall and Master Warrant Officer Michael Wiggins aided the students in their campaign. He says Monterville was one of the founding members of the Almonte Legion.
"George's funeral, when he did die, was very important for this town. The town shut down and people lined the streets for his funeral parade," he says.
"So I think at the time, just over a hundred years ago, George was fresh in their minds, and he was remembered. And I think in their minds, they wanted to put the names of the folks that weren't here."
The efforts of the students have paid off, and they have learned that they will be part of the re-dedication ceremony in June when Monterville's name is added to the cenotaph.
"This gentleman was part of their community. He worked here, he played local hockey here, he ref'd hockey here," said Grant-Kearney.
"For the students he's one of their own. He is one of their townspeople."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6978861.1722008569!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
At least 4 buildings burned at Jasper Park Lodge, others damaged: Fairmont memo
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge said Thursday afternoon most of its structures are 'standing and intact,' including its iconic main lodge.
Major Canadian bank experiences direct deposit outage on payday
Scotiabank says it has fixed a technical issue that impacted direct deposits on Friday morning.
'He was just gone': Police ramp up search for vulnerable 3-year-old boy in Mississauga, Ont.
Police in Mississauga are conducting a full-scale search of the city’s biggest park for a non-verbal toddler who went missing Thursday evening. Sgt. Jennifer Trimble told reporters Friday morning that there has been no trace of three-year-old Zaid Abdullah since 6:20 p.m., when he was last seen with his parents in Erindale Park, near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road.
B.C.'s top doctor ends four-year COVID-19 public health emergency
After four years of mask mandates, gathering restrictions, vaccinations and hospitalizations, British Columbia’s provincial health officer has ended the province's public-health emergency for COVID-19.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Canada's Christine Sinclair: 'We were never shown drone footage'
Canada soccer great Christine Sinclair said on Friday national team players were never shown drone footage during the more than two decades she was on the team, following a spying scandal that cast a shadow over the Canadians at the Paris Games.
Sask. appeal court says anti-trans group cannot join constitutional dispute over pronoun law
Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal has denied a political group that opposes so-called “gender ideology” intervener status in a legal dispute over the province’s controversial pronoun law.
Powerful cartel leader 'El Mayo' Zambada was lured onto airplane before arrest in U.S., AP source says
A powerful Mexican drug cartel leader who eluded authorities for decades was duped into flying into the U.S., where he was arrested alongside a son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, according to a U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the matter.
Elon Musk's estranged daughter calls out his 'entirely fake' claims about her childhood
Vivian Jenna Wilson, Elon Musk's estranged daughter, publicly refuted several recent anti-trans statements her Tesla CEO and X owner father has made about her.