Looking for a Heritage Fair Topic?

While we have lots of ideas for Heritage Fair topics in the Project section of our blog to get you started, there are so many interesting stories about Canadian history to choose from, we can't possibly list them all! Here are a few examples, recently covered in the news.

Battling enemies overseas, fighting racism on home front

This article tells the story of the Louie brothers, Wee Tan and Wee Hong, who joined the Canadian Army and fought for a country who, at the time, refused them full citizenship. They represent approximately 300 or so Chinese-Canadians who volunteered to fight in the First World War but about whom we know very little. Their story also highlights some of the struggles and triumphs that Chinese Canadians in British Columbia have experienced over the past 120 years.

Franklin ship discovery solves 'one of Canada's great mysteries'
After 168 years of searching, one of the ships that carried Sir John Franklin and his 128 men on a failed expedition to discover the Northwest Passage. Considered to be the greatest disaster related to exploration in Arctic history, Parks Canada staff uncovered the hull of a ship in the Queen Maud Gulf. This discovery not only allows for new interpretations of the fate of the Franklin expedition and supports the accuracy of Inuit oral history, it also advances Canada's claim for control of the Northwest Passage.

Leave us a comment below and tell us what stories you would be interested in seeing for a Heritage Fair project!

Mind Mapping

Want to get a head start on your 2015 Heritage Fair Project? 

Making a mind map may help you think like a historian! Mind maps are a great way to organize information visually and show how ideas are connected to a central topic. To create your own mind map, put your topic in the middle of your page and add in ideas or questions that connect to your topic. You can keep making these connections (or branches) until you run out of information (or room!). If you are feeling creative, you can also add some drawings or use different colours on your mind map.

Here are a few examples of mind maps made by Mrs. Veilleux's Grade 7 Class at McNeeley Elementary last year.

Vedanshi's Photos from the BC Provincial Heritage Fair

Thank you to Vedanshi for sharing her photos from the BC Provincial Heritage Fair 2014 in Kamloops, BC. Looks like everyone had a blast!

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=1c1ba07b417e8b1d&id=1C1BA07B417E8B1D%21660&Bsrc=Share&Bpub=SDX.SkyDrive&sc=Photos&authkey=!Agg9XIl-kbHGL1E

Welcome Back!

Now that summer is over, its time to start thinking about Heritage Fair! 2015 will mark the first year that Richmond will host its own Regional Heritage Fair. Support for this program has grown over the past 12 years thanks to our wonderful students, teachers, volunteers, donors and staff and we are thrilled to be able to involve more Richmond schools and showcase all of the hard work and creativity these budding historians put into their projects every year.

For many students, history has a bad reputation and is too often associated with memorizing endless dates and lifeless facts. The Heritage Fair program aims to bring history alive by allowing students to pursue their own historical interests, do project-based inquiry and present their knowledge to a real audience. These projects are also guided by six core historical thinking concepts that encourage students to ask questions, make inferences and think critically about the conclusions they come to.

Follow the link to check out the latest blog post on the BC Heritage Fairs website, 'Beyond Bad Karaoke: Historical Thinking and Heritage Fairs', to learn more!

Read all about it!

One of our Young Citizens participants has been featured in a Vancouver Sun news article - click here to watch the clip.

Polls close tomorrow so make sure to vote for your favourite videos here!

A Digital History Book?

Interested in finding out more about the Young Citizens program? A recent CTV News feature highlights how the next generation of tech savvy kids are showcasing Canadian history using digital media while also demonstrating their own creativity, ingenuity and insight on a wide range of topics. Click here and see if you can spot some of our Richmond-Delta student videos in the news report!

Don't forget - there is only one more week until the polls close on July 11 so make sure to show our students Matthias, Siya, Vedanshi and Veronica your support by voting for your favourite videos here!

2014 Provincial Heritage Fair in Kamloops

Group shot at Kamloops Lake lookout (from BC Heritage Fairs Alumni blog)

Congratulations to all students participating in the 2014 Kamloops Provincial Heritage Fair this week! Our Richmond-Delta ambassadors - Yonatan, Veronica, Vedanshi, Dania, Jasneet, Justin, alumni Jolie and chaperone Faye - are having blast at the BC Provincial Heritage Fair in Kamloops. Each of the 6 alumni representatives from around the province have been blogging about their experiences - follow their adventures here!

Learning to make mini First Nations drums (from BC Heritage Fairs Alumni blog)

This 4 day event, running from June 29 to July 2, is an opportunity for students to not only showcase their knowledge about Canada's history but also make memories and new connections. So far students have discovered Shuswap Culture at the Hat Creek Historic Ranch, the Ashcroft Museum, and Logan Lake. They also participated in the Canada Day celebrations at Riverside Park, which included a front row seat at the opening ceremonies, talking to the public about their topics in the project pavilion, and of course, fireworks! Look for upcoming blog posts from the alumni and the Provincial Fair Coordinator about today's exploration of local heritage sites and the closing ceremonies of the 7th annual Provincial Heritage Fair.

Gold and river ruby panning at Hat Creek Historic Ranch (from BC Heritage Fairs Alumni blog)

Our Young Citizens Spotlight Series - Veronica

Today's Young Citizen's video is on Alice Munro by Veronica from the Richmond School District.

Vote for Veronica's Young Citizens video here!

Veronica's project focuses on the life and literary career of Noble Prize winner Alice Munro.

During her research, the most interesting thing that Veronica learned about her topic was about Alice's childhood. Although her mom had Parkinson's Disease, Alice was still able to get a scholarship to the Western Ontario University.

Don't forget to vote for your favourite video – voting ends on July 11!

Our Young Citizens Spotlight Series - Vedanshi

Today's Young Citizen's video is on the history of rapid transit in Metro Vancouver by Vedanshi from the Richmond School District.

Vote for Vedanshi's Young Citizens video here!

Vedanshi's project examines the history of rapid transit in Metro Vancouver with a focus on the hard work that made it possible for these rapid transit projects to have a place on the world stage. 

The most interesting thing that Vedanshi learning while researching her topic was the significant role that rapid transit played in the urban development of Metro Vancouver.

Don't forget to vote for your favourite videos – voting ends on July 11!

Our Young Citizens Spotlight Series - Siya

Today's Young Citizen's video is on Sikh Family History by Siya from the Delta School District.

Vote for Siya's Young Citizen video here!

Siya's project is about her family history and Sikh immigration. Her great, great grandfather was the first in her family to come to Canada in 1907. 

During her research, the most interesting things Siya learned was about her first family member to come to Canada, her great great grandfather. She did not know that someone in her family came so early, in 1907, and she found learning all about him was so interesting, especially looking at the stamps in the passport, which showed how hard travel was at that time. 

Don't forget to vote for your favourite video - voting ends on July 11!

Our Young Citizens Spotlight Series - Matthias

Today's Young Citizen's video is on Blacksmithing by Matthias from the Delta School District.

Vote for Matthias' Young Citizen video here!

Matthias was interested in doing his project on blacksmithing because his great great grandpa worked as a blacksmith. He was very interested in learning about the different tools blacksmiths used in their work.

The most interesting thing that Matthias learned while doing research for his project was how important blacksmiths were because they made things for people to use and repaired tools that pioneers needed to work and live.

Don't forget to vote for your favourite videos – voting ends on July 11!

Our Young Citizens Spotlight Series

In addition to participating in this year's Richmond-Delta Regional Heritage Fair, students had the opportunity to take part in the Young Citizens program. This Canada-wide program encourages students to create a short (3-4 minutes) video about their Heritage Fair project topic. These videos are posted online for the public to vote on and the top 30 video are then reviewed by a panel of judges. The top six students selected by the judges are given the opportunity to travel to Ottawa to attend the Governor's General's History Awards and have their films shown at the Canada's National History Forum in November.

Four students from the Richmond and Delta school districts are participating in the 2014 Young Citizens program. Each day this week, we will be featuring a blog post on one of our four Young Citizens video participants so make sure to check in every day to learn more about each of the student's projects and follow the link to view their videos!

As there are over 140 participants in the Young Citizens program this year, support our Richmond-Delta Heritage Fair participants by voting for your favourite videos. Voting begins today (June 17) and continues until July 11, 2014!

Field Trips and Workshops

During the Student Fair Day on Friday, May 2, this year's Heritage Fair participants were able to attend both a field trip and a workshop. There were several different options for these activities, including two off-site field trips where students were able to interact with historical objects, as well as three unique workshops where students used art, historic photos, and documents to explore aspects of Canadian history.

Elders and Roots Workshop 

Students visited the Richmond Art Gallery where they viewed Evan Lee's Old Woman portrait series (currently on display as part of the Elders and Roots exhibition) and were encouraged to discuss the theme of family roots. After the gallery visit, they had the opportunity to learn how to draw their own portraits.

Museum Artefact Collection Warehouse Field Trip 

Students visited the Richmond Museum's secret artefact collection warehouse, where they learned about artefact care and storytelling through objects. They were then presented with the challenge of trying to figure out the best way to package an artefact in a box for safe transport.

Nostalgia Workshop 

Students spent time in the Richmond Brighouse Library discovering what life was like for their ancestors by exploring Canada's past from automobiles to the War Years through the use of documents and historic photos.

Steveston Interurban Tram Building Field Trip

Student visited the Steveston Interurban Tram Building and were given a guided tour of Tram 1220. They learned about the evolution of transportation in Richmond and then had the opportunity to play a fun freeze-frame game.

Discovering Family Roots Workshop 

Students were inspired to discover their family histories through research at the Rafter learning about the search for family roots in Chinese Canadian history at the Richmond Brighouse Library.

Many thanks to all of our field trip and workshop hosts - the Richmond Art Gallery, the Richmond Museums' Artefact Collection Warehouse, the Richmond Brighouse Library and the Steveston Interurban Tram - for offering this year's Heritage Fair students the unique opportunity to get their hands on history!

Provincial Fair Delegates

We are pleased to announce that the following students have been chosen to represent the Richmond-Delta region at the 2014 BC Provincial Heritage Fair in Kamloops, June 29-July 3. Congratulations!

Richmond

Clara Hughes

Yonatan Marom
Grade 4, Whiteside Elementary

Nobel Winner Alice Munro

Veronica Xia
Grade 6, Cornerstone Academy

History of Rapid Transit in Metro Vancouver

Vedanshi Vala 
Grade 7, McNeely Elementary






Delta

Lest We Forget Lester B. Pearson

Dania Rashid
Grade 5, Gibson Elementary

Vancouver In Ashes

Jasneet Sabrao
Grade 6, McCloskey Elementary

Hudson Bay Company

Justin Fennings
Grade 6, Pebble Hill Elementary












Thank you to Faye O'Neil, Aboriginal Support Worker for the Delta School District, who has volunteered her time to chaperone the Richmond-Delta student delegates for the last three years, and will continue to do so this year.

For more information about the BC Provincial Heritage Fair, visit http://www.bcheritagefairs.ca/provincial-fair-2014-in-kamloops/

Awards

Congratulations to all students who participated in the 12th Annual Richmond Delta Regional Heritage Fair. We are pleased to present the following recipients of special awards.

NATIONAL AWARDS

Canada's History Award
Why is the Bluenose an important Canadian symbol by Odessa, Gr. 5, Gibson Elementary

United Empire Loyalists Award
Laura Secord, by Ritisha & Akarty, Gr. 5, Cornerstone Academy
















PROVINCIAL AWARDS

Lieutenant-Governor's Literacy Award
Lest We Forget Lester B. Pearson, by Dania, Gr. 5, Gibson Elementary

Provincial Capital Commission Award
Emily Carr, by Erin, Gr. 5, McCloskey Elementary

BC Heritage Branch Historic Places Award
Vancouver in Ashes, by Jasneet, Gr. 6, McCloskey Elementary

BC Magazine Award
Komagata Maru, by Tushar, Gr. 5, McCloskey Elementary

BC Heritage Fair Society Stellar Achievement Award
History of Rapid Transit, by Vedanshi, Gr. 7, McNeely Elementary

BC Heritage Fair Society Stellar Achievement Award
Clara Hughes, by Yonatan, Gr. 4, Whiteside Elementary

BC Heritage Fair Society Stellar Achievement Award
Nobel Winner Alice Munro, by Veronica, Cornerstone Academy

BC Heritage Fair Society Stellar Achievement Award
The Pioneer Spirit, by Michael, Gr. 7, Pebble Hill Elementary

BC Heritage Fair Society Stellar Achievement Award
Lest We Forget Lester B. Pearson, by Dania, Gr. 5, Gibson Elementary














REGIONAL AWARDS

Richmond Heritage Commission's Local Historian Award
How was the Steveston Tram built, by Kosta & Ethan, Gr. 3, Byng Elementary

Delta Heritage Advisory Commission's Local Historian of Delta Award
Pioneer School, by Sharelle & Emily, Gr. 3, Devon Gardens Elementary

Chinese Canadian Historical Society's Family History Award
The Journey of the Diza Family, by Leilani, Gr. 6, McKay Elementary

UBC Museum of Anthropology's Aboriginal Award
Ojibwe Totems, by Connor, Gr. 5, Gibson Elementary

Museum of Vancouver's Significant Canadian Award
Mary Pickford, by Esha, Gr. 5, McCloskey Elementary

H.R. MacMillan Space Centre's Canada and the World Award
Canadian Disruptive Pattern, by Bruce, Gr. 7, McNeely Elementary

Royal BC Museum's National Significance Award
Canada: A Cultural Mosaic by Urvee, Gr. 6, Cornerstone Academy

Britannia Mine Museum's Industry Award
Britannia Mine, by Ewan, Gr. 3, McNeely Elementary

Vancouver Canadians Baseball Club's Sport Award
Canadian Female Athlete of the 20th Century, by William, Gr. 4, Wowk Elementary

Vancouver Art Gallery's Artistic Merit Award
Forever First Nations, by Kate, Gr. 7, McNeely Elementary

Honourable Mention
Hudson Bay Company, by Justin, Gr. 6, Pebble Hill Elementary

Honourable Mention
Boston Pizza, by Isaac & Jerry, Gr. 7, Cornerstone Academy

Honourable Mention
Why is the Vancouver Aquarium important, by Aiden, Gr. 6, McKinney Elementary

Honourable Mention
James Naismith, by Chace & Rand, Gr. 5, Whiteside Elementary

Student Choice Award
The Iwase Family Journey to Canada, by Kai, Gr. 6, McKay Elementary