Comox Valley students recently showcased their interest in history and culture during the School District 71 Heritage Fair, and many were honoured with awards and advanced to the regional level.
Ashley Gilmore (Cumberland), Hanna Taylor (NIDES), Lauren Farrell (Vanier) and Margaret Lyster (Highland) won Soroptimists International awards for outstanding projects related specifically to women.
The fifth annual Aboriginal Recognition Awards for outstanding projects featuring First Nation, Métis or Inuit content went to Jaki Braidwood’s class team from Queneesh, Ry-lee Pearson (Aspen Park) and Erin Humphrey (Mark Isfeld).
The 888 (Komox) RCAF Wing of the Air Force Association of Canada bursaries were awarded to Kara Stanton and Karah Hansen (Mark Isfeld).
Vintage Wings of Canada presented an award for the best project on military heritage or aviation to Kara Stanton of Isfeld.
The Wing Commander’s Shield, awarded to a Grade 10, 11 or 12 student whose project demonstrates excellence in the area of military history, went to Isfeld students Dillan Monks and Casey Watamaniuk.
Erin Humphrey of Isfeld won the Francophone Association award for the best project related to French language, culture and heritage in Canada among students in Grades 10 to 12.
Highland's Jessica Schoeman won the North Island College prize for the top student project in Grades 11 or 12 on and environmental theme, and Jordan Hiebert, who is also a Highland student, won the North Island College prize for the top student project related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
This year, a very special new award was presented in memory of Ron Bannerman to students who showed an excitement and enthusiasm for history. These Ron Bannerman Memorial Medals were awarded to Kyle Wenmann and Emily Fuhrer (Miracle Beach), Cedar McDonald, Carlos Agnew and Molly Bryan (Cumberland Elementary), Greyson Pace (Brooklyn/Lazo), Kamrie Lavoie and Hannah Taylor (NIDES), and Cole Moran and Claire Fullerton (Valley View).
Eight student projects will be on display at the Courtenay and District Museum until this Friday. They include Jack Gilfillan’s Coast Salish Art (Brooklyn/Lazo), Ry-lee Pearson’s First Nations Basketry (Aspen Park), Greyson Pace’s Battle of the Atlantic (Brooklyn/Lazo), Hugh Park’s Vimy Ridge (Vanier), Tessa Williams’ Comox Logging and Jack McQuinn (Miracle Beach), Luke Coppick and Sean Mulgrew’s Battle of Dieppe (Aspen Park), Katie Schultz’s Royal Canadian Wrens (Miracle Beach) and Jenna Haaf’s project on Canadian Women at War (Mark Isfeld).
Valley View Elementary won the School District 71 Award of Excellence based on the highest overall average of project scores.
This year, 50 students were selected to move on to the Regional Heritage Fair in Port Alberni.
Those students were:
• Katherine Lyster, Luke Coppick, Chloe Pierce, Madeline MacLean, Breanna Synder, Zach Scheuerman, Autumn Could, Paxton DeWolfe and McKinley Veale from Aspen Park Elementary;
• Reid Cochrane, Maya Varela, Greyson Pace and Meghan Perry from Brooklyn/Lazo;
• Maya Willard-Stepan, Ashley Gilmore, Chloe Speed, Cassidy Jackson and Lily Charette from Cumberland Elementary;
• William Enns, Emily Harrison, Tessa Williams and Katie Schultz from Miracle Beach;
• Andre Sutter, Christopher Nixon-McKellar and Meaghan Cabral from Queneesh;
• Claire Fullerton, Joshua Minkley, Danielle Robertson, Karisma Short, Megan Borland, Anthony Xylinas, Austyn Mullen, Cassidy Jeeves, Haley Waldhaus, Haley Wigard and Brett Woods from Valley View;
• Kamrie Lavoie and Jeremy Lyster from NIDES;
• Margaret Lyster from Highland Secondary;
• Sam Collins, Tristan Bedford, Danielle Poirier, Avery Snider, Madison Kramer, Kia van der Vliet, Jenna Haaf, Samm Merrick, Emily Cunningham, Emily Williams, Emily Kampen, Grant Woods, Aiden Wedkesser and Danielle Banbergen from Mark Isfeld;
• James Amzin Nahirnick, Reece Meyerhoff, Farrell Cambrey, Erin McClelland-Asu and Kyle Fukui from Vanier.