Heritage Fair Awards Celebrates Diversity

Students will celebrate the province's diversity and history at the 20th annual Nova Scotia Provincial Heritage Fair, today, May 31, at the National Immigration Museum in Halifax.

Communities, Culture and Heritage Minister Leonard Preyra will help review the submissions, and will choose a winner for the Communities, Culture and Heritage Minister's award.

The minister's award is one of 17, and this year it has a diversity component. Each submission has to reference a time when two or more cultures worked together. They must be visually pleasing, based on historical research, and demonstrate the student's interest and enthusiasm.

"These fairs help to foster appreciation and awareness of Canada's heritage among Nova Scotia's youth," said Mr. Preyra. "Our youngest residents are telling our stories through their creativity, and celebrating culture and heritage through research."

Other award categories include African Canadian Heritage, Built Heritage, First Nations Heritage and Gaelic Identity.

Canada's History a national organization devoted to popularizing Canadian history, co-ordinates the program nationally and the Nova Scotia Heritage Fair Society, along with regional school boards, arrange provincial school fairs for students in grades 4 to 9. The provincial fair is held to showcase and recognize the best provincial heritage projects.

The departments of Education and Early Childhood Development and Communities, Culture and Heritage each contributed $5,000 to the society to help co-ordinate the fairs.

For more information, visit www.nsheritagefairs.com/awards--prix.html . Award recipients will be listed online later today.

FOR BROADCAST

Students will celebrate the province's diversity and

history at the 20th annual Nova Scotia Provincial Heritage Fair,

today (May 31).

Communities, Culture and Heritage Minister Leonard Preyra

will help review the submissions, and choose a winner for the

Communities, Culture and Heritage Minister's award.

He says our youngest residents are telling our stories

through their creativity, and celebrating culture and heritage

through research.

For more information, visit w-w-w dot N-S Heritage Fairs

dot com.