Crocus Plains Students Reflect on Impactful European Journey

Nine students from Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School have returned home after an impactful, all-expenses-paid journey across Europe. The 10-day trip was a pioneering initiative aimed at helping Manitoba youth connect with the realities of war, sacrifice, and remembrance.

The delegation included students Jay Elias, Xandria Roulette, Mary Akinbode, Cole Hingey, Kaleb Voodre, Elen Abraham, Helly Patel, Alexander Joubert, and Mercury Campbell-Spence, alongside teachers Shayne Macgranachan and Kat Hunkin.

For Cole Hingey, the news of the trip felt surreal initially. “I didn’t get an email, so I thought it was a very cruel joke,” he recalled. “It didn’t feel real until we were boarding the plane in Toronto.” Once in Europe, he visited several significant sites, including Amsterdam, Antwerp, Vimy Ridge, and Juno Beach. “I learned I knew nothing about Juno Beach before. Canadians took so long to move because every step was dangerous. It gave me a lot more respect for what they went through,” he said.

Mary Akinbode shared a similar sentiment, expressing initial disbelief when she received the email. “My parents thought the email might be a scam,” she said. The emotional weight of visiting the Anne Frank House and military cemeteries was profound. “It felt really deep down in the heart. They sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Being there was my way of showing respect,” Akinbode added.

Xandria Roulette learned she was selected for the trip right after finishing her last exam. “We joke a lot, so I thought my mom was messing around,” she recounted. The experience opened her eyes to the harsh living conditions soldiers faced. “Trenches, dugouts, limited food … it made me grateful for what we have now.”

Jay Elias was surprised by the depth of history he encountered. “The museums gave a really deep look into how crazy things got,” he noted, particularly reflecting on the significance of the Anne Frank House. “Seeing how people hid intentionally — you don’t see that today.” The trip reinforced his passion for construction, as he admired the impressive structures of museums and historical sites.

Teachers Hunkin and Macgranachan emphasized that their role was more about witnessing student growth than traditional supervision. Hunkin was deeply moved by the evolving understanding students developed regarding how to engage with cemeteries and battlefields respectfully. “The legacy of war is still so present there,” she explained.

Macgranachan found it heartwarming to see students become comfortable in a new environment. “By the end, they felt part of the place. Sometimes I didn’t even feel like a chaperone — more like a tourist with them,” he said. He noted that the experience at Vimy Ridge was particularly impactful, as the land remains shaped by war even a century later. “It doesn’t forget, even 100 years later. And we shouldn’t either,” he remarked.

The timing of the trip also held special significance; the group departed on the eve of Indigenous Veterans Day and reached the midpoint of their tour on November 11, 2023, Remembrance Day. Their itinerary included significant locations such as the Flanders Fields Museum and the nightly Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres.

As the students settle back into their routines in Brandon, many expressed how the trip has opened their eyes to history in ways that textbooks cannot. Cole Hingey summarized the experience succinctly: “I’m really grateful I got chosen. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I’ll remember it forever.”

This initiative is part of a provincial program introduced by the Manitoba government earlier this year, inspired by Premier Wab Kinew’s experience at the 80th anniversary of D-Day in 2024. The program aims to fund travel for Manitoba youth to historic sites related to the First and Second World Wars, fostering a deeper understanding of history and remembrance among the younger generation.