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Windsor Secondary students Olivia Hardman, Lisa Zhang and Matthew Coffin with Prince Harry.

By Caren Hall, Principal

On November 18, Windsor Secondary School Grade 12 students participated in an event at the Seaforth Armory to learn more about the athletes in the Invictus Games. They had the opportunity to meet active Canadian Armed Forces members and Invictus Games Athletes and engage in a Poetry Study lesson with them based on the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley. Windsor students analyzed the poem Invictus with their English teacher, Chantal Dubé. They learned how the power of this poem is used to inspire wounded Veterans competing in the Invictus Games, and use this inspiration in their own lives.

I AM is the motto for the Invictus Games and is inspired by the last two lines of Invictus: “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”  I AM reflects and defines the Invictus Games’ core purpose: to provide a platform for personal achievement, to compete not just against each other, but against oneself. 

The Invictus Games Vancouver-Whistler in February 2025 will bring together over 500 wounded, injured, and sick military service members and Veterans from around the world on a courageous journey of recovery through the healing power of sport.  Windsor Grade 12 students had a unique opportunity to interview and co-write poetry based on their experiences and through the themes of the original Invictus poem. Students were able to share their work with the patron of the Invictus Games, Prince Harry. Students learned how their experiences at the Games have transformed their lives and helped them in their quest to be “unconquerable.” 

The Poetry Study activity was facilitated as multiple small group circle discussions by serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces and Prince Harry. The focus is on having an open discussion about topics including PTSD and mental health and recovery using the lines of the Invictus Poem to relate back to. Members of Canadian Armed Forces have been briefed on sharing their experiences of what it means to deploy and then reintegrate into the community and some challenges they face.

Windsor students Nicolo Edralin Alcanse and Eva Stoelting read the poem Invictus during the formal speaking program which included the Squamish Nation Council Member Sxwixwtn Wilson Williams, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, Invictus Athletes, and Invictus Games Founding Patron, Prince Harry.

Chantal Dubé graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Specialization in English Literature and a Minor in Religious Studies, before earning her bachelor’s degree in Education. She has taught senior English at Windsor Secondary School for five years.  Ms. Dubé is passionate about what she teaches, and encourages students to always consider their passions as a lens through which they can explore literature. Ms. Dubé is an avid reader who enjoys studying Shakespeare and writing poetry.

Windsor Secondary English 12 students outside Seaforth Armoury.