There was scarcely a dry eye in the Arrow Heights Elementary Gymnasium Friday afternoon as 46 men and women — nine of them Revelstoke residents — from 17 different countries were sworn in as new Canadian citizens. This composite panorama of the Arrow Heights Elementary School gymnasium on Friday afternoon gives you an excellent idea of the number of people who attended the Citizenship Ceremony at which 46 people became new Canadian citizens. Please click on this image to see a larger version. David F. Rooney photo
By David F. Rooney
There was scarcely a dry eye in the Arrow Heights Elementary Gymnasium Friday afternoon as 46 men and women — nine of them Revelstoke residents — from 17 different countries were sworn in as new Canadian citizens.
During a rarely seen here 45-minute Citizenship Ceremony, Judge Ann Dillon spoke of the rights and responsibilities these new citizens have in one of the few countries on the planet where equality before the law is a reality — not just words written on paper.
In an interview prior to the ceremony, Judge Dillon said she was pleased to have the opportunity hold a Citizenship Ceremony in one of the Interior communities, as opposed to a major centre such as Vancouver or Kelowna.
“There is real value in this for everybody — not just the new citizens,” she said. “It teaches our children that citizenship is something earned and we encourage everyone to reaffirm their citizenship by reciting the Oath of Allegiance along with their new co-citizens.”
That recitation was joined by almost everyone who attended the ceremony — more than 150 people — and for some, like me, it was probably the first or few times they had ever sworn the Oath of Allegiance.
The ceremony included a rendition of the traditional folk song, Land of the Silver Birch, by the students in Sue Leach’s Grade3/4 class and a performance by Laurel Russell’s Grade 4/5 class of We Are More, a spoken word poem made famous during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics by slam poet Shane L. Koyczan. There were also words of welcome from City Councillor and Acting-Mayor Chris Johnston, School Board Chairman Alan Chell and Laura Christie, one of MLA Norm Macdonald’s constituency assistants.
But enough wordage about the event. Here are photos from the ceremony:
The ceremony was an emotional moment for Leslie and David Evans and Jackie and Garry Pendergast as well as all the other people who became citizens on Friday. David F. Rooney photoClutching their new citizenship papers the Evanses and Pendergasts were quite happy with their decision to seek citizenship as they stand ready to recite the Oath of Allegiance. David F. Rooney photoAHE teacher Sue Leach and the students in her Grade 3/4 class recite the Oath of Allegiance. As citizens, they were not required to do so, but they pledged their allegiance to the Queen and to Canada in an act of solidarity with the 46 men and women who became new citizens on Friday. David F. Rooney photoEvery new citizen was asked to come to the microphone and state their name, their country of origin and the community where they are leading new lives. Here Garry Pendergast has the mic. David F. Rooney photoSue Leach’s Grade 3/4 class sang a lovely rendition of the traditional Canadian folk song, Land of the Silver Birch. David F. Rooney photoStudents in Laurel Russell’s Grade 4/5 class recite We Are More, a spoken word poem made famous during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics by slam poet Shane L. Koyczan. David F. Rooney photoAHE Principal Todd Hicks says a few words at the end of the ceremony. David F. Rooney photoJackie and Garry Pendergast spare a smile for Kayla Fenwick (right) as she returns to her seat after she led the audience in singing the national anthem, O Canada. David F. Rooney photoAnd here are Revelstoke’s newest Canadians — all nine of them. From left to right are Veronic Stevenson with her two children, David Evans, Leslie Evans, Jackie Pendergast, Garry Pendergast, Dong Wang, Gerritt Gonzalez, Graciela Graner and Buck Corrigan. David F. Rooney photo
