History Students Make History

Students from three Grade 11 Canadian History classes today were recognized by the House of Assembly for their efforts in studying and researching key events of Canada's participation in the First World War.

The students attend Lockview high school in Fall River, Halifax Co.; Hants East Rural high school in Milford, Hants Co.; and Cobequid Educational Centre (CEC) in Truro. Hants East and CEC students recently took part in the first online debate on the YouthLinks Web site, which is hosted by the Historica Foundation.

"Our students were the first in Canada to explore historical issues through this online forum," said Education Minister Jane Purves. "Our new Canadian history course is giving students a solid background on the contributions of our ancestors and how they shaped our country."

The online debate explored the importance of the battle of Vimy Ridge in Canada's history.

"It wasn't easy researching the battle, but we also had a lot of fun," Rhiannon Flemming, a Grade 11 student at CEC. "The course has been a good experience so far, and we've learned a lot from working with each other in the debate."

After a successful pilot in 13 schools last year, the Canadian History 11/Histoire du Canada 11 curriculum is now in classrooms across the province. It is one of five courses students can take to fulfil the new Canadian history graduation requirement.

Students taking the new Canadian history course have many learning resources at their fingertips. The collection of online resources was designed specifically for the Nova Scotia curriculum. A new textbook was also designed for the course.

One portion of the new course focuses on Canada at war and peace, and explains how the war affected roles for women, members of minority groups, children and governments.

This year's Grade 11 students will be the first to graduate, in 2003-04, with the new Canadian history requirement. In addition to Canadian History 11, students can choose from African Canadian Studies 11, Mi'kmaq Studies 10, Études Acadiennes 11, and Gaelic Studies 11 to meet the requirement for graduation in June 2004.