Edmonton students place poppies on veterans' graves at Beechmount ahead of Remembrance Day

Students from No Stone Left Alone will place poppies on the graves of veterans at Beechmount Cemetery in north Edmonton one week before Remembrance Day. The program started at Beechmount in 2011, when 120 students honoured headstones at its first Remembrance ceremony there on November 11, 2011.

Beechmount is the final resting place for dozens of veterans who died in the First and Second World Wars. The ritual includes a trumpet call before two minutes of silence.

Founder Maureen Bianchini Purvis says students need to see history in person. "Since our last conflict was over 80 years ago, it was being lost a little bit right?" she said. "I'm not sure kids learn the same way from a textbook." She wants to bring students to community cemeteries, which she calls "their history libraries."

Cadet Master Warrant Officer Dylan Osborne of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets said he never took part in the activity when he was young. "I think it's really important to get connected with all the veterans and their stories," he said. "These aren't just names on stones but people who you know went away had to sacrifice jobs and friends and family."

Retired Cpl. Kyle Scott of the Canadian Military Engineers pointed to the 120,000 Canadians who never came home. "It's very, very important that these kids come and they learn what that sacrifice means," he said.

In 2025, the program operated across six countries. The organization says about 17,000 students are taking part nationwide this year. The 2025 national ceremony was held from Beechmount on November 5, 2025.