CCVS Student Returns to France to Help Share Stories of Canada’s Soldiers

July 8, 2026(Cornwall, ON) - For Callie McCormick, a Grade 12 student at Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School (CCVS), a recent return trip to France was about more than revisiting a meaningful experience-it was about helping carry forward the stories of Canadian soldiers.

McCormick was one of 16 Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) students selected for the "We Were Here" history project in fall 2025-an immersive program that allows students to learn, remember, and honour Canada's military history.

As part of the experience, each student researched a Canadian soldier and created a unique way to commemorate them.

"Each student would present their soldier, and we would all stand together and listen," said McCormick. "Some people created poems, paintings, music-everyone found a different way to tell their story."

McCormick chose Lieutenant Fred Williams, a CCVS alumnus who fought in the Second World War and was executed at the Abbaye d'Ardenne following an order from General Kurt Meyer. She presented her research through a detailed binder and an original painting, bringing his story to life in a personal and meaningful way.

Her work stood out to program leaders, who invited her to return to France in June 2026 to attend the official inauguration of the Brutinel Visitors Pavilion-the final major structure at the Hill 70 Memorial Park in Loos-en-Gohelle, formally dedicated on June 10.

"It was really special to be invited back," she said. "This time, I was representing youth and helping share these stories in a different way."

During her second visit, McCormick contributed to content for the Hill 70 website.

"A lot of my role was recording videos," she explained. "As I was doing the scripts, I was also learning-about things like nursing sisters, mustard gas, wireless communication, and creeping barrages."

She also visited war museums in Lens, France, and travelled to Belgium to see the Menin Gate, further expanding her understanding of the First World War.

The experience shifted her perspective.

"Once we started hearing the stories of all the soldiers, it really clicked-these were real people," she said. "If students aren't researching them, their stories aren't being carried forward."

"It's not just about the battles-it's about the people who fought, what they believed in, and what they were fighting for."

That understanding extended across all sides of the conflict.

"Seeing the Canadian, British, French-even the German sectors-showed that everyone was fighting for something," she said. "Even the people we were against had families who cared about them. That's what really stayed with me."

Since returning, McCormick has been sharing her experience with younger students at CCVS and encouraging them to learn more about the people behind Canada's wartime history.

"I've been talking to some of the Grade 11s about what I learned," she said. "When students are involved in something beyond the classroom, that's what makes them care. We're youth, and we're carrying these stories forward. These stories deserve to be remembered."

For more information or inquiries, please contact:

April Scott-Clarke
Manager of Communications
Upper Canada District School Board
[email protected]