Canora students paint memorial for veterans

A class of history high school students in Canora painted a crosswalk on Thursday as part of a school project.

A class of history students painted one of the town’s crosswalks ahead of Remembrance Day.

“Quite a bit [of effort was put into the project], but I have lots of hands to help me, so that’s really good,” said Olivia Dereniwsky, a teacher at Canora Composite School.

“This is my history 30 class, and we’re putting it up for Remembrance Day as a memorial,” she gestured at the students behind her back.

A group of girls were sitting on the lawn just next to the intersection. They were hard at work cutting out words for a stencil.

“We have words at the bottom that say, ‘In honor of all those who served and sacrificed,’ Dereniwsky explained. “And then on the other side, we have that as well, but in Ukrainian.”

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The teacher said her students were excited to participate.

“They’ve been checking out the crosswalk, getting ideas. It was one of my students’ idea to do the writing in Ukrainian as well. So, they’re really committed to this and excited,” she said.

She said the finished crosswalk will feature two maple leaves, the text, and of course, white lines making the crossing safer for everyone.

Dereniwsky said the idea came from her father, who is part of the Yorkton Legion.

“The Legion has partnered with us as well. They’re covering the cost for us, which is very nice,” she added with a smile.

The new memorial is located on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Main Street in Canora.