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Every September and October, branches of the Royal Canadian Legion across Canada mobilize legion members and volunteers to prepare for Remembrance Day ceremonies. 

To those in the legion, this work is both a duty and an honour. 

In 2020, thanks to restrictions required to control the COVID-19 pandemic, the preparations and ceremonies were significantly different both across the country and in Carlyle. 

There was one tradition that went forward unabated, even in these unusual times.  That tradition is to encourage the youth in schools to participate in remembrance through artwork and the writing of essays or poetry and has been ongoing for more than 50 years.

All work, by all students, is greatly appreciated by legion members, and to showcase this work the dominion command has developed a structure to review and reward the best in a number of categories. Information from the legion website shows the poster contest has four categories in both colour and black and white – primary, junior, intermediate, and senior – and the literary contest has three categories – junior, intermediate and senior. 

All entries are reviewed at the local branch, with first place winners being sent to a zone competition. First place winners from the zone competition are forwarded to the district competition. From the district competition, first place winners are submitted the provincial competition. 

Ultimately the provincial first place winners are sent to the dominion competition. First place winners of the dominion competition have their work displayed in Ottawa and are invited to Ottawa to honour their efforts. 

In 2020, the Carlyle branch of the Royal Canadian Legion received 124 entries total from Carlyle and Arcola schools. The legion was very pleased with the response from students and wish to congratulate students whose work was selected in first place and was forwarded for zone consideration. 

These students are Kassidy Schultz for intermediate colour poster; Shiney Singh for intermediate black and white poster; Rylie Peterson for junior colour poster; Rory Miller for junior black and white poster; Xander Brown for primary colour poster; Makenna Slykhuis for intermediate poem; and Alana Penny for junior poem.

A few of the entries submitted by the Carlyle legion won awards at the zone level. Xander Brown won second place in the primary colour poster division. Makenna Slykhuis placed third in the intermediate poem.

Kassidy Shultz won first place in the intermediate poster contest and that poster will be forwarded to the district competition.

Finally, Alana Penny also won first place in the junior poem contest and that poem will also be forwarded to the district competition.

The Carlyle Legion wishes to thank all students who participated in the 2020 Remembrance Day Poster and Literary competitions, and to congratulate all our local winners