Dozens of Valentine's cards were designed by students with diverse abilities at North Surrey Secondary to show their appreciation for Canada's veterans across the country. (Photo by Nicola Racanelli)
Students at North Surrey Secondary are sharing the love this year, sending Valentine's cards to veterans in appreciation of their service to Canada.
Earlier this month, Nicola Racanelli, a teacher and the BASES department head at North Surrey, invited students with diverse abilities from all grades to participate in creating cards for veterans. She was inspired by a post on X from Veteran Affairs Canada, encouraging Canadians of all ages to design #ValentinesForVets to thank them for their service.
"I looked into it and thought this would be great for the class," said Racanelli. "The students loved it! In the past, we've done cards for seniors for Christmas, and at Christmastime, we deliver them to the group home nearby.
"They love doing that kind of stuff. They get to write little messages and add stickers and do something nice for someone else."
About 25 students and education assistants made dozens of Valentine's cards to share, with such messages as "Thank you so much for your service" and "We appreciate you." Racanelli collected the cards and mailed them in a package to Veteran Affairs Canada, to be distributed to veterans across the country.
Racanelli said activities such as Valentine's for Veterans teach students about the importance of older generations and foster connections between young learners and wise elders.
"In December, when we visited the senior home with Christmas cards, a lot of these students hadn't really had this outside connection," she said. "They played games with the elderly and learned how to talk with them, and it was really cool to watch as a teacher.
"It's the importance of having that connection with other people, not only for the kids in BASES but the seniors and whoever we're communicating with. We've done more and more of that over the years and it's really neat to see the students connect with others in such a meaningful way."
Thank you, North Surrey BASES students, for showing your appreciation! And thank you, veterans across Canada, for your service!
