I have attached my announcement to the students and staff regarding the tragic events in Ottawa yesterday. I have also attached a note from our Director of Education, Donna Quan, that some of you may find useful as you talk about this situation with your children, family and friends.
Rob MacKinnon
Good Morning,
Sadly, you will notice that our flag is at half-staff again. It is lowered in honour of reservist Nathan Cirillo, the young reservist who was killed while guarding the tomb of the unknown soldier in Ottawa yesterday.
As I am sure you all now know, Reservist Cirillo was shot by a man who later went up to our Parliament buildings and opened fire there. Luckily, no one else was injured, except the alleged perpetrator, who was killed. Events like these open up many questions… most fundamentally, ‘why did this attack occur?’ It will also bring up questions around safety, surveillance, democracy and even the kind of Canada we want to live in. You may be discussing some of these issues in class today and with your families over the next while. As always, whenever major events like this happen, they can raise issues for our students and staff. Our guidance staff and administration are always available if you would like to talk about yesterday’s events.
Finally, at this upcoming Remembrance Day, we will be thinking about all of the soldiers in the past who have made personal sacrifices for their country; this year, we will also think about Nathan Cirillo and all the men and women who serve our country today.