The Moose Jaw branch of the Royal Canadian Legion happily handed out award certificates and pins to 34 local students who participated in the annual poster, poetry, and essay contest during the Honours & Awards night.
Each student had submitted a work to the 2019 Remembrance Campaign, which collects entries from schools all across Canada and has a committee from each local branch of the Legion judge the pieces.
With students from both Moose Jaw and rural schools in the running this year, the Branch 59 committee had plenty of choices for this year’s placings.
"All of the Legions do this across Canada, and it makes you feel proud of these kids, that these kids know," said committee member and chair of the Poppy Committee Bob Travale.
The poster and literary contests mean a lot to both Fraser and Travale, as well as the rest of the Legion.
“I think for the Legion, it’s important to remember what we’ve lost,” said committee chair Sharon Fraser. “And when you're sitting down, judging the [entries] with your committee, you can almost put a face to what that child was thinking about. It just gives us such a sense. We're bursting.”
“Really, its to teach our children that we do have veterans, and we did fight in many wars, but its all part of their history and their education about Canada,” said Travale.
The first-place winners of the 2019 Canada Remembers contest for Branch #59 are:
Primary Black & White Poster: Mia Martin, Sunningdale School
Primary Coloured Poster: Kenzie Crocker, Sunningdale School
Junior Black & White Poster: Zen Quimio, Sunningdale School
Junior Coloured Poster: Emily Lin, Sunningdale School
Intermediate Black & White Poster: Tong Jin, Sunningdale School
Intermediate Coloured Poster: Brogan Bowes, Sunningdale School
Senior Coloured Poster: Marisol Soriano, Chaplin School
Intermediate Essay: Julia Foreman, Avonlea School
Senior Essay: Hunter Paraniuk, Avonlea School
Junior Poem: Alister Broom, St. Michael School
Intermediate Poem: Allison Duncan, Avonlea School
Senior Poem: Hunter Paraniuk, Avonlea School
The first-place winner of each category is sent on to be judged provincially and then nationally in Ottawa.
The Legion also awarded a cash prize to four schools in Moose Jaw, for their participation in a decorating contest.
Each school organized and decorated their halls for Remembrance Day, with Sunningdale School taking first place, Sacred Heart taking second place, Ecole St. Margaret taking third place, and William Grayson receiving an honourable mention.
All awards were presented by Fraser, Travale, and Moose Jaw Legion branch president Sharon Erickson.
