Students from Mrs. CJ's class were given $25 gift cards for their efforts to clean up the Kamloops Chinese cemetery earlier in June (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

KAMLOOPS CHINESE CEMETERY

KSA students who helped refurbish Kamloops Chinese cemetery honoured

Jun 25, 2021 | 10:27 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Grade 4/5 class who helped clean up and refurbish the Kamloops Chinese Cemetery were recognized on Friday for their efforts.

During a year-end assembly, the students from Mrs. CJ’s class at the Kamloops School of the Arts were awarded with $25 gift cards to Tumbleweed Toys.

The students had been learning about the history of how Chinese people, especially railway workers, were treated by the Canadian government. They were honoured for cleaning up the cemetery yard and painting the Chinese symbols in front of each grave site.

“It feels very nice for them to do this,” said student Miles Smith. “I think helping them was very important and I think it was important to help them.”

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Classmate Lily Zinger added, “It was a pleasure to help them. It was really important. I’m so glad that we did and that’s there now because the Chinese people weren’t treated properly and they deserve it.”

“It’s nice to actually help people,” said Peyton Chapman. “I feel like it’s fine to give us gifts, but it’s nice to just help them and it’s nice we actually went there. I want to go back and help them again.”

Both Chinese cultural associations in Kamloops presented the gifts on behalf of the Chinatown Business Improvement Association in Vancouver, which saw the CFJC Today story and were touched by the students’ dedication to cleaning up the cemetery.

“The Vancouver Downtown [Chinatown] Business Improvement Association believes that it has touched the hearts of all the Chinese people when the students repainted the Chinese characters and cleaning up the cemetery,” said executive director of the Kamloops Chinese Cultural Association Joe Leong. “The students have respected, honoured the Kamloops Chinese railway workers.”