At Constable Daniel Woodall School, a ceremony was held Friday honoured the life and legacy of the Edmonton Police Service officer, 10 years after he made the ultimate sacrifice.
Dan Woodall was killed in the line of duty on June 8, 2015 in west Edmonton, where he and his fellow members of the hate crimes unit were attempting to make an arrest at a home in Callingwood.
The 35-year-old officer was shot through the door of a home. Another officer, a southwest division patrol member, was shot in the lower back but survived.
“I was working that day, and I remember quite vividly responding to the event. It’s hard to believe sometimes…it’s already been 10 years, but it feels like it was just yesterday,” Deputy Chief Nicole Chapdelaine said.
In the years since, Woodall has been honoured at two locations in Edmonton: at a park in the southwest Terwillegar area, where he lived with his wife and two young sons, and also on the other side of Anthony Henday Drive.
There, in the Windermere area, sits Constable Daniel Woodall School, which is clad in blue, yellow and black siding that mirrors the colours of the Edmonton Police Service.
The school opened in 2017 and every year students take the time to remember Woodall and his service to the community.
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“I think anytime a school is named after someone, it is our job, it’s our responsibility, to ensure that students know why it was named after them and what that person embodies, and then to learn from that,” principal Leanne Moncrieff said.
During the ceremony students talked about Woodall’s life, shared poetry and music. They also heard from his friends and colleagues.
“This school is going to continue to have a legacy of students who are going to enter the community and make a difference, whatever they choose to do,” Chapdelaine said.
The school also presented its inaugural Legacy Award to a Grade 6 student who exemplifies Woodall’s core values of safety, diversity, community and belonging.
“This award is really gonna help me remember Constable Daniel Woodall and my elementary years, when I go into middle school next year, and it’s going to help keep on the legacy,” Legacy Award winner Maizie Stewart said.
As a lasting symbol of Woodall’s roots in the community, a maple tree will also be planted in front of the school.
“These things will continue to exist for people to have moments when they need them to remember Dan, remember the sacrifice he made on behalf of the community,” Chapdelaine said.
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