Students from Northern B.C. showcased their knowledge of the province's and country's heritage at the 2014 Northwest Regional Heritage Fair on May 23, with all award categories but one being conquered by Prince Rupert and Port Edward students.
This year's fair was held at the North Pacific Cannery as part of the national historic site's 125th anniversary year. The cannery welcomed more than 50 students from around the region for the event.
Five Pineridge Elementary projects were selected for Stellar Achievement awards, with the six students who created them going to the Heritage Fair in Kamloops from June 30 to July 4. The winners consist of Marcus Carney for his project "Legend of Gold", Ashley Innes with "The Great First Nations of the Northwest Coast", Kade Jones and Simon Bellis with their project "Roe on Kelp", Samuel Costa with "The Amazing Soda Pop: Canada Dry Ginger Ale" and Grant Slocombe with "A Success Story 100 years in the making".
"All projects were well-received by our volunteer judges and North Pacific Cannery would like to congratulate each student for their time and effort into their projects," explained Gareth Evans, North Pacific Cannery assistant manager.
Other students from the school also took home awards, including Kaedyn Bond who won the Historic Places award for her project "Fish in a Can".
Two Pineridge learners were selected for Canada's History awards, which recognizes outstanding projects telling a story through the combination of writing and artistic skills. The winners were Joshua Mayeda and Lisa Neilsen for "Alexander Graham Bell", as well as Japneet Sandhu with "The Canadian National Railway".
Pineridge's Jacob Gordon received the BC Magazine History award for "Skeena through the Years", given to a project surrounding a historical figure or a significant event in B.C.'s history.
Annunciation School students were also awarded for their efforts, with student Chloe McMeekin receiving the BC Hydro Power Pioneer award for "McMeekin Family History", a category for projects researching a pioneer in B.C., and Ruby Ferlaino getting the Lieutenant Governor Literacy award for "Journey to Prince Rupert", an award that recognizes a project that's central component is a written story showing imagination and a historical inquiry.
Additionally, Port Edward Community School students Daylyn Brown and Tyson Leask earned the North Pacific Cannery award for "Ben Spencer and Cannery Work", which researched the cannery's history.