Foothills youth put their artistic and writing abilities to the test in a contest that honours Canadian men and women who’ve sacrificed their lives in war.
The Royal Canadian Legion distributed dozens of awards to school students who participated in its annual poster, poetry and essay contest during a ceremony at the hall in Turner Valley on May 5.
The contest has been taking place across Canada for about 30 years to get school-aged children engaged in an important piece of Canadian history.
“We must keep in mind why we are here, what the veterans did for us and why it was so important to remember their sacrifice,” said Gordon Day, past president of the Turner Valley branch. “It’s been presented to them as a positive reason to remember.”
The Turner Valley branch consistently boasts the highest participation rate of any in Canada, said Day. This year it received 722 entries from 12 schools.
“It’s a great representation,” said Day. “I find what is most important is the teachers get on board. Some treat it as a school project. We have a very strong program.”
Caitlyn Winter, a Grade 8 student at Heritage Heights School, learned about the contest from her teacher last fall.
Winter placed first in the intermediate essay contest and second in the district, which extends from Nanton to Red Deer and border to border.
“I’ve never known about this before,” she said of the contest. “I chose the essay because I could express a lot of my feelings with an essay.”
To create her piece, Winter interviewed her grandfather who arrived in Canada at the age of two after his family fled London, England during the Second World War.
“I asked him what did it feel like, were you scared?” she said. “He was two so he didn’t remember a lot. He did remember hearing the bombing.”
Winter said she also collected information from the Internet and stories her father told about his grandfather who was involved in the Second World War.
“It’s good for all of us to learn about the war,” she said. “There was lots of sad times, but now we can show them how grateful we are.”
The entries are judged by a dozen Legion and community members over two weeks. Participants had until the end of November to submit their entries.
When it comes time to present the awards, Day said there is always a good turnout.
“I love the parents because they are very caring for their kids,” he said. “They are not happy because their kids won they are happy because their kids did something.”
Branch winners include:
Junior Colour: First, Sophie Espiritu of Summit West Independent School; second, Joel Burrows of Senator Riley School; third, Ashley Krule of Red Deer Lake School
Intermediate Colour: First, Katlyn Tulissi of Edison School; second, Claire Gossling of Third Academy School; and third, Wyatt Rogi of Heritage Heights School.
Senior Colour: first, Charizma Homer of Oilfields High School; and second, Isaiah Scott Seaman of Oilfields High School.
Junior Poetry: First, Zarra Gilluley of Edison School; second, Leah Lindsay of Edison School; and third, Sruthi Subramian of Edison School.
Intermediate Poetry: First, Kealey Atkinson of Oilfields School; second, Lucille Urban of Edison School; and third, Kamilla Aubakirova of Edison School.
Senior Poetry: First, Natalie Boland, Edison School; second, Katelin Wieland of Edison School; and third, Morgan Angus of Edison School.
Junior Essay: First, Jackson Niven of Edison School; second, Kiana Milne of C. Ian McLaren School; and third, Fletcher Zabek of C. Ian McLaren School.
Intermediate Essay: First, Caitlyn Winter of Heritage Heights School; second, Maddie Bews of Heritage Heights School; and third, Thanvi Ravi Shankara of Edison School.
Senior Essay: First, Samuel Kamal of Edison School; second, Parker Antal of Edison School; and third, Melina Watson of Edison School
A list of the district winners was not available to the Western Wheel by press time.
