2008 Governor General’s Awards Finalists demonstrate that Today’s History Lessons are Taught Outside the Classroom More Often Than in it

WINNIPEG, June 19 /CNW/ -

Canada’s National History Society today announced the 25 finalists for the 2008 Governor General’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History. Highlights of their innovative teaching approaches include daily fitness runs that end with key information about historic sites, Aboriginal Art exhibits, documenting oral histories with Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans, new media presentations, and the recreation of Canada’s Diamond Jubilee.

Among the 25 finalists were Regina Catholic’s Curtis Kleisinger’s grade 9 and 12 history programs at Michael A. Riffel High School and Joe Stafford’s Grade 10 class at St. Theresa Catholic High School in Belleville, Ontario.

Now in its 13th year, the Awards recognize the outstanding contributions of Canada’s history teachers, ranging from elementary grades through to secondary schools. Deborah Morrison, CEO and President of Canada’s National History Society says, “Inspiring students to take an interest in history and develop a sense of pride and place is without a doubt a real challenge in today’s future-focussed society. These exceptional teachers have a unique way of bringing history to life that not only engages students, but makes history the coolest subject in school.” Morrison adds, “That effort will make a life-long difference for those students and their perspectives on being Canadian.”

The 25 finalists for 2008 are:

Finalists	Grade	School Name	School City	School Prov
Linda & George Urban	K-9	Louie Noreigan	Jean-Marie River	NT
Cathleen Anne Tenning	12	Victoria High School	Victoria	BC
Joanne Espinel	5	J. A. Laird	Invermere	BC
Mike Ward	4 & 5	Palsson Elem. School	Lake Cowichan	BC
Bev Milobar-den Ouden	5	Colchester School	Sherwood Park	AB
Neil Robinson	7	Westmount Charter School	Calgary	AB
Ron Sweet	5	Calgary Science	Calgary	AB
Curtis Kleisingber	9 & 12	Michael A. Riffel High School	Regina	SK
Rick Delainey	10&12	Lutheran Collegiate Bible	Outlook	SK
Joe Kostuchuk	11-12	Portage. Collegiate Instit.	Portage la Prairie	MB
Andrew Rychel	7 & 9	W. H. Morden Public School	Oakville	ON
Bryce M. Honsinger	8	Applewood Public School	Caistor Centre	ON
Clint Lovell	10	Eastview Secondary Sch.	Barrie	ON
Joe Stafford	10	Saint Theresa Cath. Sec. Sch.	Belleville	ON
Nancy Hamer Strahl	10	Port Perry High School	Port Perry	ON
Nicole Aucoin	7 & 8	Horizon Alternative Sch.	Toronto	ON
Scott Masters	10-12	Crestwood Preparatory	Toronto	ON
Chantal Pelosse	4th & 5th sec.	Collège Inter. Marie de France	Montréal	QC
Gilbert Salmon	4th sec.	Polyvalente de Thetford Mines	Thetford Mines	QC
Isabelle Bergeron & Sylvain Christin	4th sec.	Collège Bourget	Rigaud	QC
Jean Pelletier	5th primary	Ecole de l’Alizé	Quebec	QC
Jean-Pierre Frigon	5th sec.	Ecole Sec. Paul-Le Jeune	Saint-Tite	QC
Allan Mark Trueman	12	James M. Hill Memorial H. S.	Miramichi	NB
Owen Ferguson	6	Redcliff Middle School	Truro	NS
Sherri Duggan Thelma Gregan	K to 6	Berwick & Dist. School	Berwick	NS

A committee of judges will next select six recipients out of the 25 finalists, based on a submission outlining the nominee’s innovations and achievements in the field of teaching Canadian History or Social Studies.

Those six recipients will receive $2,500, a gold medal and a trip this fall to the Awards ceremony presided by the Governor General this Fall. Their respective schools will also be awarded a cash gift of $1,000.

The program, including the Awards prizes are made possible through the generous support of TD Bank Financial Group. “TD believes that one of the best ways to make a difference in the future of our communities is through the education of our children,” said Frank McKenna, Deputy Chair, TD Bank Financial Group and TD’s Literacy and Education Champion. “With these awards, we’re proud to recognize the teachers tasked with ensuring future generations of Canadians gain a deep and meaningful knowledge of our country’s rich and colourful past.”

Library and Archives Canada are also generous partners in the program, providing support to the Awards events and expertise in sharing and distributing the award winning lesson plans to teachers across Canada. “These awards acknowledge how childhood educators provide children with the critical experiences and learning that will affect them for the rest of their lives,” said Ian Wilson, Librarian and Archivist of Canada. “We are proud to continue our strong partnership with the History Society and to honour the talent, skill and dedication of these teachers who play such a vital role in our society.”

More detailed biographical information and photos of each of the finalists are available for download through the press room of the History Society’s website:

www.historysociety.ca/abo.asp?subsection=new&page=pre

Canada’s National History Society is a Winnipeg-based charitable organization devoted to popularizing Canadian history. In addition to publishing The Beaver magazine, and the children’s magazine Kayak: Canada’s History Magazine for Kids, the Society also operates two distinctive award programs: the Pierre Berton Award for popularizing Canadian history and the Governor General’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History, which honours innovative classroom teachers.

A Synopsis of Each of the 25 Finalists Programs

George and Linda Urban

Jean Marie River, NT

A dynamic teaching team in a one room school in the Northwest Territories is engaging their students in a real-life cultural quest. With a population of only 52, the tiny community of Jean Marie River is genuinely dedicated to raising their children in a culture that connects them to their historical past. That is why teachers, George and Linda Urban have created an interactive curriculum at Louie Norwegian School that allows their students to relive the history of the Dene culture in a hands-on, personal way.

Under the wise guidance of an elder, students paddle down the scenic Mackenzie River to explore historical sites, sew moose hide quilts and sketch pictures of knowledge passed on from the Elders. Titled, “Remember When…A Cultural Study of the Dene”, this interactive course is helping students make important connections to the land and prominent historical figures.

Cathleen Anne Tenning

Victoria, BC

British Columbia, before the arrival of the Europeans, was home to many Indigenous peoples speaking more than 30 different languages. Before the fur traders entered the area to harvest sea otters and settle the land, the Chamainus First Nation were part of the founding fore-fathers of Vancouver Island’s long and storied history.

Cathleen Anne Tenning, a teacher from Victoria and member of the Chamainus First Nation is passing on her people’s proud history to her Grade 12 students at Victoria High School. Through interactive field trips and environmental studies outside the classroom, Tenning’s students are visiting historical sites and hearing first-hand from Aboriginal elders on how First Nations people lived in the past. Titled, “Walking on the Lands of our Ancestors”, Tenning has created “talking circles” that empower her students with personal experiences so they can learn about the issues that First Nations people face in the present day.

Joanne Espinel

Invermere, BC

Joanne Espinel’s Grade 5 classroom is adorned with colourful paintings and poetry that takes her students back in time to the 1800s when Canada became a country. Espinel, a teacher at J.A. Laird Elementary School, is encouraging her students to research, discuss and analyze the challenges faced by Canada’s early immigrants. Through a gala evening of poetry, dance, and displays of quilting and weaving, Espinel’s students are showcasing their discoveries to their families and the community. Some of the students have even traced their own ancestry back to the 1800s by crafting individual family trees. Espinel’s students have also been involved in hosting a Citizenship Ceremony in which they met and interviewed new Canadians.

Mike Ward

Palsson, BC

Stepping into Mike Ward’s classroom at Palsson Elementary School is like travelling in a time warp back to the 1800s. His students are busy building a replica Pioneer Village complete with blacksmith and carpenter shop, a rustic General Store, log houses and a one room school house. This nostalgic journey to the late 1800s is a real-life lesson in reliving Upper Canada’s rural life and pioneer struggles.

Ward’s unique lesson plan encourages his grades 4 and 5 students to create their own Pioneer Village on a 4′ by 8′ dirt-covered table. Through role-playing, each student then becomes a pioneer in this new land and must overcome challenges such as clearing their land, creating sustainable businesses, electing a viable government and eventually developing a modern society.

Bev Milobar-den Ouden

Sherwood Park, AB

Lights, camera and action! It’s not everyday that Grade 5 students star in their own documentary that attempts to unravel the mysteries of history. But in Bev Milobar-den Ouden’s class, students are encouraged to connect the past with the present by retracing the defining moments that led to their community’s historical relevance in Alberta.

This year, students at Colchester School were presented with the question, “Should we preserve the past?” Through the use of primary sources, artefacts and film, students created projects that answered the critical question. The hour-long documentary on the Colchester area, which is located in the southwest quadrant of Strathcona County, is the student’s answer to the question: Why are stories about our past so important?

Teacher Bev Milobar-den Ouden led her students through the question in their social studies class. Recognizing the values of history and that it be preserved for future generations, the students produced the documentary themselves by interviewing seniors, studying local archives and actually visiting historical sites.

Neil Robinson

Calgary, AB

Neil Robinson didn’t want to build a better board game; he wanted to engage his Grade 7 students in a real-life journey through Canadian history from the explorations of the first nations and Europeans, right up to the battle of the Plains of Abraham. So with hundreds of hexagon shapes, Robinsondesigned an interactive role-playing game that transports his students at Westmount Charter School back to the 15th century continents of Europe and North America.

Robinson’s students are divided into teams representing European settlers and First Nations people. The individual teams then divvy up their land and craft trade deals, harvest resources, resolve conflicts, establish treaties and sell goods.

Ron Sweet

Calgary, AB

Ron Sweet has never braved the bullets and bombs that the North West Mounted Police faced in battle, but he does have a few heroic tales to tell.

The Grade 5 teacher is receiving national recognition for an interactive and unique curriculum that is leading his students to the frontlines of battle.

His students at Calgary Science School are living the lives of the North West Mounted Police by forming troops and eating and sleeping in original barracks.

Under Sweet’s guidance, his students are also learning to harness horses, work on railroad cars and pan for gold as part of their research into how the North West Mounted Police impacted Canada’s present day judicial system and law enforcement.

Curtis Kleisinger

Regina, SK

It’s not everyday that you hear of students attending classes during the day and then eagerly signing up for lectures in the evening. However, Curtis Kleisinger has found a creative way to get his Grade 9 and 12 students to do more homework instead of less. The teacher at Michael A. Riffel High School has created a project with a powerful emotional punch. Kleisinger developed a curriculum where students uncover local military history. The Remembrance Project involves students and staff from the Regina Catholic School Division as well as local veterans, Library and Archives Canada, the Juno Beach Center, the Royal Canadian Legion, the Regina Rifle Regiment and other organizations. The project culminated with a trip to the Canadian Battlefields in Belgian and French.

Rick Delainey

Outlook, SK

Rick Delainey is a believer in the power of technology to empower people. In true “Back to the Future” fashion, Delainey has created Virtual Canada 2.0, an interactive web-based text for his Grade 10 and 12 classes at Lutheran Collegiate Bible Institute. This innovative and unique cyber teaching tool features original movies, detailed notes, online tests, activities and games.

Rather than relying on a text book, Delainey’s students are able to access historical information in a format that is interactive and meaningful.

James Kostuchuk

Portage LaPrairie, MB

Until now the souls of Manitoba soldiers have rested silently, all but forgotten, except for their family and friends. Now, a teacher from Portage Collegiate Institute is about to change that. James Kostuchuk is bringing to life the stories of those incredibly brave men who died fighting in the trenches during the First World War. Kostuchuk’s Grade 11 and 12 students are breathing life into the dusty names etched on the local cenotaph, finding a face and personality in the stone. The life stories of these soldiers reveal a snapshot of a nation at war.

Andrew Rychel

Oakville, ON

From construction of the railroad to conflict of the Red River/Northwest Rebellions, Andrew Rychel’s Grades 7 and 9 students are reliving the past to gain a better insight on the future. Rychel, a teacher at W.H. Morden Public School has engaged his students in a unique historical look back at the Northwest Mounted Police, the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway and the western expansion of settlers in Canada.

Bryce Honsinger

Caistor Centre, ON

In Bryce Honsinger’s Grade 8 class, the political events of the post-Confederation era that fuelled the Métis uprisings of leader, Louis Riel are alive and well. Through a creative and unique curriculum titled, “Canadian History Timeline”, Honsinger has transported his students at Applewood Public School back in time so they can role-play the lives of historical figures that were pivotal in the Trial of Louis Riel and the Quebec Conference.

Honsinger has also created a genealogical study of his own family which he uses in the classroom to study important moments in history. Students are given a hands-on experience as they examine photos, artefacts, and documents from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Clint Lovell

Barrie, ON

Harold Patterson, a soldier from Barrie, Ontario died during the Second World War, and has been pretty much forgotten since then. Until, Grade 10 teacher, Clint Lovell encouraged his students from Eastview Secondary School to resurrect Patterson and his fellow soldiers history. Along the way, Lovell and his students rewrote their city’s past by drawing up a new way to teach history in our high schools. Each student built profiles of their soldiers’ lives, using research from the Canadian Virtual War Memorial and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. They then sought further details for local newspapers and the memories of local citizens. Those complete profiles were then added to the National Virtual War Memorial and a Barrie War Memorial website. The project has since expanded to encompass World War One casualties.

Joe Stafford

Belleville, ON

The Ottawa Senators had just clinched the Stanley Cup, Ray Charles hit song “Georgia on My Mind” dominated the airwaves and the 60th Anniversary of Confederation was being celebrated across the country. The year was 1927 and judging by Joe Stafford’s Grade 10 class at St. Theresa Catholic Secondary School, students would rather trade in their low riders for flappers and fedoras.

Stafford has encouraged his students to re-enact the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation under the government of Mackenzie King. Students dressed in 20’s garb, prepared visual displays and staged vaudeville acts to highlight the accomplishments of Canada.

Nancy Hamer Strahl

Port Perry, ON

In a Grade 10 classroom at Port Perry High School, teenagers are trekking back in time to resurrect the memories of thousands of Canadian soldiers who met their untimely demise during the Battle of Hong Kong and World War I and World War II. Nancy Hamer Strahl’s students adopted and researched a specific soldier, created a memorial piece and produced a unique, personal tribute, which has allowed them the opportunity to express their gratitude in commemorating and preserving the memories for future generations.

Students not only studied the paramilitary camp known as “Camp X” in Whitby, Ontario and interviewed veterans; they also created time capsules for the 60th Anniversary of Juno Beach and the Battle of Hong Kong. These capsules are buried on the battlefields of Europe and Hong Kong.

Nicole Aucoin

Toronto, ON

As the leader of the Métis during two separate rebellions, Louis Riel shone a political spotlight on injustices and championed the rights of his people. Although Riel’s determination to topple the Canadian government ultimately failed, his subsequent trial, conviction and execution changed the political dynamics of Canada forever.

More than a century later, this historic event is having a profound effect on Grade 7 and 8 students at Horizon Alternative Senior School. Teacher Nicole Aucoin has transformed her classroom into a courtroom so that her students can recreate the trial of Louis Riel and decide for themselves if Riel was a terrorist or freedom fighter.

Scott Masters

Toronto, ON

Scott Masters believes in the power of personal accounts to relive historical moments. Topics like World War II and the Holocaust can be difficult to comprehend in a classroom environment. That’s why Masters is giving those most affected by history a voice of their own. Masters has invited veterans and Holocaust survivors to speak with his students at Crestwood Preparatory College. Survivors and former soldiers share their stories and their own personal artefacts and documents. The students have now begun to digitize those memories and primary documents so that the next generation of students will have the opportunity to view history through a first-hand account.

Chantal Pelosse

Montreal, QC

Madame Chantal Pelosse has a unique way of bringing history to life for her Grades 10 and 11 students. Last January, Pelosse’s students won 3rd place in the TV5 Thalassa international contest on globalization by researching and presenting the challenges that the Montreal river port has overcome from the time of furs to that of large shipping containers. Pelosse’s students at College International Marie de France have also starred in their own musical that depicted the 350th Anniversary of Montreal.

Gilbert Salmon

Thetford Mines, QC

Gilbert Salmon has a unique knack for bringing history to life for his secondary 4 (Grade 10) students. He has transformed his classroom at Polyvalente de Thetford Mines into a museum brimming with historical artefacts collected by his students. The items serve as a starting point for discussion and the study of history, and immigration. Students interpret the items – many of which reflect the diverse facts of life in the region – and present them to the class as well as invited students from other grades.

Isabelle Bergeron and Sylvain Christin

Rigaud, QC

From the creation of the first electric motor to the steam-power-driven flight by the Wright brothers, the Industrialization of Canada gave rise to modernization. Now, a class of Grade 10 students from College Bourget are going back in time to discover the monumental achievements made during the Industrialization of Canada from 1850 to 1930. Teachers Isabelle Bergeron and Sylvain Christin have encouraged their students to research historical figures and detail their findings in journals. Those trips down memory lane then culminated in a large interactive exhibit involving over 200 students from the same grade.

Jean Pelletier

Quebec City, QC

In Jean Pelletier’s Grade 5 class, some days are just like a theatrical production. In the second row sits a young girl dressed in beaver skins and clogs made of hide. To the left of her is a young boy wearing a knitted toque, complete with all the colors of the rainbow and tassels swinging to and fro.

These Grade 5 students at Ecole de l’Alize are exploring everyday life of village “habitants” through period costumes, historical figures and customs of the yesteryear. Their discoveries have been brought to life with posters, costumes, models and computer dioramas as part of the Historica Fairs Program.

Even the entire community participates in this historical re-enactment, awarding prizes to the students for their efforts.

Jean-Pierre Frigon

Quebec City, QC

The liberation of Europe from the steely grip of Hitler’s Third Reich is over six decades old but the monumental moment is alive and well in the minds of Jean-Pierre Frigon’s class at Ecole Secondaire Paul-le-Jeune. His Grade 11 students are exploring the contribution of their region and that of Canada as a whole to the Allied war effort against the Nazis. Titled, “The Roads to Freedom”, Frigon developed an interactive curriculum that engaged his students in an international exchange between students from Quebec and France. During the long-distance learning experience, students discussed the contribution of Canadians to the liberation of France. Frigon’s students also created an historic calendar dedicated to local veterans and visited historic sites.

Allan Trueman

Miramichi, NB

It’s a history lesson that can span centuries with just the click of a mouse. In New Brunswick, Allan Trueman is using cyberspace to propel Grade 12 students into a new realm of education. Through the creation of a virtual high school, this teacher from James M. Hill Memorial High School has allowed students – those who are unable to attend a regular high school as well as any New Brunswick high school students whose school does not offer Canadian History, or is unable to fit the class at his/her school into their schedule – the chance to learn about Canadian history through an interactive, multimedia website. The online course, called “Canadian History 122″, features lecture notes, activities, pictures, quizzes and resources to help students interact and explore historical moments.

Owen Ferguson

Truro, NS

Owen Ferguson is hoping that his Grade 6 class has a few green thumbs in it. The teacher at Redcliff Middle School is sowing the seeds of a unique project that’s designed to bring history to life for his students. Called the “All Canadian Tree”, Ferguson’s students carefully crafted original handmade ornaments that depicted aspects of Canadian culture and history. These creative knick-knacks were then placed on the tree, which serves as a symbol of the diversity of Canada. Not only did Ferguson’s students learn about the many cultural and historical facets that complete this country but the “All Canadian Tree” also sprouted a sense of unity amongst his students.

Sherri Duggan and Thelma Gregan

Berwick, NS

Teachers Sherri Duggan and Thelma Gregan are encouraging their students to trade in their text books for sneakers. The teachers at Berwick and District School are leading their students on a trek back in time that will explore over a dozen historical and cultural sites throughout the province.

The historical marathon, titled “A Journey Through Time”, encouraged students K to 6 to run over 1,800 kilometres. Over the course of their journey, students trekked across various historical landmarks such as Kejimkujik National Park and the Black Cultural Centre.