It's the first day back in class for many students in Woodstock after an epic trip to witness the Vimy memorial first hand.
Some high school students in Oxford County are feeling a little jet lagged after the trip of a lifetime.
A contingent of students from Oxford County journeyed to France to take part in the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Vimy Ridge.
40 students from Woodstock Collegiate Institute were part of the delegation from Oxford, and Head of the History Department Susan Kudelka says many of them walked away with a whole new appreciation for peace and the cost of war.
"I think it was a pretty life changing experience for all of us. Certainly it was very impactful to be there for the ceremony and feel that connection to history that you don't get from a classroom or a textbook but to actually be present at a site where so much happened. You know the fact that students came from across the country to commemorate the event and the fact that our students got to interact with other students who were there for the same purpose and there was kind of a sense of a pilgrimage to it that everyone was coming together for this big event. Which was pretty unique. It was pretty powerful and emotional."
While in France, Kudelka says the students also toured battlefields, cemeteries, and other important historical sites. She was also bursting with pride while she described the decorum and respect exhibited by the WCI students.
She says many of those students signed up two years ago and some even raised the money to fund their trip all on their own.
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