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18 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday April 6, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Eastview History Club reflections on France By Emily White and Dana Wray Grade 8, Eastview Public School N ine days in France and Belgium over March break? Sounds fun, right? Well, 26 Eastview Grade 8 students had the opportunity to tour the Canadian battlefields, memorials and cemeteries of World War I and II. Our journey to France actually began in October when interested students came together to form a History Club. Each week we would meet to study and discuss Canadian battles of the two world wars. We learned about Passchendaele, Dieppe and the Normandy invasion. We became familiar with places like Juno beach, and learned about the horrors of trench warfare and gas attacks. The Club provided us with knowledge of the events and sites we would actually visit during our travels in Europe. On March 7, with our brains full of knowl- edge, a sense of anticipation, and our passports we left Pearson Airport for Paris. Upon our arrival we got the chance to see the sights including the famous Louvre museum, the Catacombs, and a glimpse of Notre Dame and the Latin Quarter. On the second day we saw the Paris Opera House and the Arc de Triomphe. We even went shopping on the Champs Elysées. We then traveled to the Chateau de Versailles, known for its exquisite 250-ft. Up to $1,100 in Carrier rebates! Up to $800 in government rebates! DON'T PAY TIL 2008! O.A.C. · · · · · Furnaces Air Conditioners Air Cleaners Humidifiers Duct Cleaning CALL NOW FOR SPRING SPECIALS! BRENMAR HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING L TD. 905-608-9330 1-866-852-9330 www.brenmar.ca Has Adoption Touched Your Life? visit www.ontario.ca/adoptioninfo Hall of Mirrors. The next day we participated on an excursion to the biggest Canadian war monument -- Vimy Ridge. During the visit we even snuck up on the monument itself, which was closed for a ceremony, taking place in early April. We spent most of day near Vimy visiting the Canadian cemeteries of the soldiers that fought for us during World War I. The trenches and underground tunnels at Vimy Ridge inspired interest and awe in the group. In Belgium we visited more war museums and historical sites and they included the Flanders' Fields Museum and the Passchendaele Museum that had mock underground tunnels complete with bombing sounds and real war artifacts. The Tyne Cot Cemetery -- the largest war cemetery in the world, with over 12,000 Commonwealth soldiers from World War I -- proved to be an emotional feat for some students when we all laid down roses to honour the dead soldiers. On the Normandy coast we visited the Arromanches Museum and the remnants of an artificial port, as well as Juno Beach where the Canadian D-Day landings took place. Our last full day in France was first started by a bit of shopping in Rouen while we admired the old clock and learned about Joan of Arc. In the evening, we took a cruise down the inimitable Seine River, sightseeing once more from a distance the gorgeous architecture of Paris at night. Finally, to finish it up, we all scaled the Eiffel Tower and looked over Paris one last time to see the City of Lights lit up brightly in the dark. On March 16 we flew home exhausted, but full of memories and sincere appreciation for the soldiers who fought and died for our freedom. Our History Club still meets but now our task is to create scrapbooks with the information and pictures from an incredible journey. The trip would not have been possible without our teachers and chaperones: Mme Morin, who planned the trip for over ten months to make sure everything was perfect; Madame Betts and Miss Selnes, who were very fun chaperones, and to our amazing tour guide, Vincent. If you were involved in an adoption that is registered in Ontario, you should know that access to identifying information for adopted adults and birth parents is changing. Changes to adoption information laws in Ontario will allow most adopted adults and birth parents to receive identifying information from original birth registrations and adoption orders. Changes also include the ability to register a no-contact notice and apply for an order prohibiting the disclosure of identifying information in order to prevent harm. In the past, non-identifying information may have been disclosed to adopted people or birth relatives. To learn more about these changes and how they might affect you or someone you know, please visit www.ontario.ca/adoptioninfo. This ad is paid for by the Government of Ontario.