The closure of all schools prevented most students from physically participating in heritage fairs this year, but Heritage Saskatchewan has allowed youths to showcase their displays digitally.
Since most regional heritage fairs and the provincial heritage fair had to be cancelled when the pandemic was declared, the organization is holding a virtual Heritage Fair open to all students in grades 4 to 8 across the province, especially — but not exclusively — for those who were already doing projects in their schools.
Students can submit their projects by email or through the Heritage Saskatchewan website, at heritagesask.ca. The deadline for students to enter is Thursday, April 30.
“Heritage Saskatchewan chose to continue the program in a new format because we felt that this is an important project for students at this time. Many of them had already completed their projects prior to school closures and we wanted to give the students the chance to share their work,” explained Katherine Gilks, co-ordinator of heritage fairs for Heritage Saskatchewan.
A Heritage Fair project gives students the chance to connect with their families — even if physically distancing — and explore a topic they are passionate about, she continued. That passion shines in their work and is shared with the community during the regional and provincial fairs. Moving the provincial fair online allows the community to remain part of the program.
Only two of the 11 registered schools in the Moose Jaw area held their school-based fairs to determine which students would advance to the regional fair, explained Heather Rauscher, chair of the Moose Jaw and District Regional Heritage Fair committee. Since the regional fair has been cancelled, the committee won’t be involved in the provincial Heritage Fair until next year when it starts to plan again.
As a parent herself, Rauscher worked with her son over the Easter break on his project that he will submit to Heritage Saskatchewan’s virtual fair. His school managed to hold its fair before it closed, while his project was one of the few chosen to advance to regionals. Rauscher joked that her son had no help from her in achieving that honour.
“He was very disappointed that the regional fair was cancelled, but is excited for the chance to still be able to share his project, just in a different way,” she added.
Heritage guides society and is something people turn to during tough times, such as learning how others in the past dealt with adversity, Gilks said. It also helps people recall that hard times will not last forever, while the more fun aspects of life, such as museums, zoos, sports, arts, and entertainment, will return.
“The Heritage Fair is a chance for many of us to learn something new about Canada,” she added.
During May, projects will be judged virtually and winners will be announced at the end of the month. There is no higher level to which students can advance since this contest takes the place of the provincial Heritage Fair. However, Canada’s History Society is also running its national contests if students are interested in participating.
The virtual judging will be done using modified rubrics, as judges are unable to ask questions and may only have a photograph with which to work. Projects will be judged for their content, creativity, and communication. Prizes will be offered. Projects can be on any topic relating to Canada.
“We have some entries from the Moose Jaw region already,” Gilks added, “but we would love to see more as there was record participation at the school level in the Moose Jaw region this year.”
