Winnipeg, Manitoba
Mr. Young is a high school history teacher whose commitment to remembrance and passion for teaching has made an indelible mark on students and staff. He has coordinated numerous events and projects at Kelvin High School, highlighting its history, its Veterans and personal ties to the First and Second World Wars. Mr. Young was engaged, beyond measure, in the school’s 100th anniversary, writing the script for the history DVD, encouraging students to research the lives of former students, fallen soldiers and he was responsible for having an entire classroom dedicated to these Veterans’ lives for public viewing. Credited by students for making history real by providing context, he has compiled an extensive list of past students and teachers who fought and died on the beaches of Normandy and in the fields of Flanders. For the past three years, he has coordinated the school trip to Europe—engaging students in the commemoration of Veterans, particularly those of the First and Second World War, visiting sites such as Juno and Omaha Beaches. A life-long learner, he participated in the 2013 Cleghorn Battlefield Study Fellowship to enhance his knowledge for the benefit of future school trips. On his personal time, prior to a trip to China, Mr. Young researched former students whom had served and were buried there. Once there, he visited their graves, laying roses on one soldier’s grave, honouring the family’s request.