Families, students and staff across Ajax and Durham Region are being invited to submit the names of veterans and military members they will be remembering this November, as part of a community tribute organized by the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB).
The names will be displayed on the board's website and on the digital sign outside the Catholic Education Centre at 650 Rossland Rd. W. in Oshawa from November 8 to 12, 2026, according to the Durham Catholic District School Board.
Anyone in the Durham Catholic learning community who wants to take part must complete an online form by 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Submissions can include the names of veterans, active service members or military personnel whose service and sacrifice a family or individual wishes to commemorate.
The tribute is tied to the board's November commemorations, which recognize the more than 2.3 million Canadians who have served, and continue to serve, the country in times of war, conflict and peace.
The board marks two key dates during the month. Indigenous Veterans Day falls on Sunday, November 8, honouring Indigenous veterans, and Remembrance Day follows on Wednesday, November 11, paying tribute to all who served in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and in the years since.
Schools to hold services and learning activities
Beyond the public name display, the board says students and staff at DCDSB schools will take part in prayer services, liturgies, learning opportunities and remembrance activities throughout November, honouring all veterans, including those who gave their lives in service to Canada.
The board describes the tribute as a way for its community to gather names of people being remembered individually — a veteran relative, a currently serving family member or other military personnel — and to see those names publicly acknowledged in the days surrounding Remembrance Day.
The DCDSB serves students across Durham Region, including Ajax, so the call for submissions extends directly to local families connected to the board's schools.
People wishing to participate can find the submission form through the board's announcement page. The deadline of 4:30 p.m. on November 4 leaves roughly a week for names to be gathered before the display goes live on November 8.
Once the tribute period ends on November 12, the board's commemorations continue in classrooms, where students will spend the month learning about Canadians' military service and sacrifice.
