It’s the opportunity of a lifetime – the chance to be a part of history. In April 2025, 36 students from Huntsville High School will visit key sites related to Canada’s involvement in both World Wars.
“It’s quite the eye-opening experience for students, that’s for sure. Rarely are they the same person when they come back.”
Trevor Arndt teaches history and philosophy at Huntsville High School and has coordinated the trip with history teachers Jeff Young and Pauline Webb.
“Students will realize once they go over there, like especially in the Netherlands, they’re extremely grateful that Canadians stepped up, and we did right away in World War I and World War II,” Trevor tells 705BLACKFLY.COM.
The students will be travelling to France, Belgium, and the Netherlands and the excursion includes stops at battlefields, memorials and resting places. In Belgium, they will visit Ypres and Passchendaele, the village where 3,598 Canadians lost their lives and 7,000 were wounded in World War I. In France, they will see the Canadian memorial in Vimy Ridge, the site of a major Canadian victory in World War I. They’ll also spend time at Juno Beach and locate fallen heroes from Huntsville who are resting in several war cemeteries – some of whom are related to students participating in the tour.
During the trip to Amsterdam, they’ll visit a Jewish deportation centre and the Anne Frank House, the hiding place of a Jewish girl and her family during World War II. That stop will be especially poignant as it coincides with Holocaust Memorial Day.
“They’re going to be that much more aware, sensitive, and connected to the past,” Trevor says.
A special dinner and fundraiser are being held at the Huntsville Legion on Friday February 21st. The evening includes a silent auction and student presentations.
Tickets to the HHS Battlefields of Europe Tour fundraiser can be purchased online here. Tickets are $20 for adults or $10 for students. All proceeds will directly cover students’ travel expenses. If you are interested in donating an auction item, please contact Trevor Arndt at 705-789-5594 ext. 19834
For more from our conversation with Trevor and to see photographs from previous tours, please watch our video.
