YELLOWKNIFE - Thanks to a lot of hard work and extra classes, a group of Yellowknife students will be among the first to see the newly-restored Vimy Memorial in France.

The St. Patrick high school students have raised $45,000 during the past several months by washing cars, bagging groceries, driving people home, and selling raffle tickets.

Brian Monks, 15, Kathleen O'Brien, 15, Rebecca Mahler, 17, and Jane Frost, 17, are looking forward to visiting Vimy Ridge, a First World War battlefield, in France. - Christine Grimard/NNSL photo

The climax of their week in Europe will be a ceremony at Vimy Ridge, which will include the Queen and the Prime Minister. During the ceremony, the Queen will present one of the students with a medal.

Canada's memorial at the First World War battlefield has undergone a $20 million restoration since December 2004.

The students' stop at Vimy Ridge is part of a larger tour. Forty-eight students, teachers and chaperons will visit a number of French battlefields where Canadian soldiers fought and died, including Second World War battlegrounds at Dieppe, and First World War sites in the Somme River area.

The students have attended night classes to learn about Canadian involvement in the world wars, to help them better understand the series of war monuments they will be visiting in Europe.

The idea for the trip began on Remembrance Day in 2005, when teacher Lora-Lea Wark and other teachers discussed taking a group of students to Europe.

Wark wanted students to both see the war monuments and understand what happened at the sites and how the battles helped shape Canadian history.

"I think everyone, including me, has a newfound appreciation for Remembrance Day," said Megan Welsh, 17, one of the students who has been attending the classes and will be going to Vimy Ridge in April.

"When it comes to Canada, and what was happening at the home front, no one knew what was going on," said Jane Frost, 17, on what she learned in the classes. "I feel that we don't learn a lot about Canada's involvement in the wars... I like the focus that this course had."

While some of the students are paying for the trip themselves, many have been working hard at fundraising so they will be able to cover the cost of their trip.

"You hear all the bad stuff, but you never hear this," said Miles Welsh, one of the adult chaperons. "These kids are out there all the time."

Yellowknife Catholic Schools superintendent Kern Von Hagen praised Wark's initiative on making sure the students were well-informed on Canadian history.

"The history and the background is indispensable to grasping the meaning of this event," he said. "They know the place names, they know the history, and can tie together these events."

The students will fly to London on Apr. 4 and spend two days in London. They will then travel to France by ferry. The students will return to Yellowknife on Apr. 11.