Heritage Fair Students to Follow the "Trail of the Caribou"
The Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (HSA) is pleased to announce the official launch of the 2016 Ambassador Award Program. The program will see 19 Heritage Fair students from across the province embarking on the trip of a lifetime; a European tour retracing the steps of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in World War 1, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel. This will be a powerful and moving experience for the participants, providing them with a deeper understanding of this part of Newfoundland and Labrador’s history.
2015 Ambassador Award Students
Ambassador Award Program: The Ambassador Award Program is a joint initiative between the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (HSA), the Department of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development (BTCRD), under the Honour 100 Commemorations Program, and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DOE). Piloted in 2015, the Ambassador Award Program is administered through the HSA as a part of their Heritage Fair Program. Students choosing to participate in the program complete projects commemorating the men and women who served in the First World War. Select projects are chosen to advance from school Heritage Fairs to the regional level, where 19 students from Grade 7 to Level III will be recognized for the excellence of their projects. The winning students will have the opportunity to participate in a European battlefield tour, primarily throughout Northern France and Belgium. They will visit significant sites where the Royal Newfoundland Regiment fought and spend time in the five communities that are home to the bronze caribou monuments, the official memorial to the Regiment. Their visit will coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beaumont Hamel and the students will be joined on their trip by General Rick Hillier, who will be acting as Honorary Ambassador for the program.
Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Fairs: The annual NL school Heritage Fairs are a project of the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (HSA). Since bringing the program to the province in 1997, the HSA initiative has involved over 110,000 student projects, 16,000 volunteers and thousands of prizes. Directly linked to school curricula, Heritage Fairs engage students directly in their own culture and heritage, and allow students to showcase their history projects using a variety of mediums. Their topic is presented at school fairs where outstanding projects are selected to attend a regional fair. This year’s Heritage Fair theme is Service and Sacrifice: Shaping our Culture.