MOOSE JAW — Sunningdale School student Sawyer Chubey had some redemption during this year’s provincial Heritage Fair competition because she finished in the top 10 after failing to place in 2024.
Chubey, 11, was one of 60 students in grades 4 to 8 from across the province who attended the Heritage Saskatchewan-organized event at Government House in Regina recently. Students presented projects they had created earlier this year about Saskatchewan- or Canada-based heritage topics.
This was the 11th time the heritage-focused organization hosted the fair at Government House.
Chubey’s project about the Titanic earned her a ninth-place finish; Saskatoon’s Miraaj Mohammed and Rimsha Rafiulla captured the top spot for “Elijah McCoy: Gears, Grit and Glory.”
The top 10 received certificates and book prizes at the ceremony.
“I was really happy because I had some tough competition,” the Grade 5 student said. “And I was really happy because I put a lot of time and effort into making my project look good and making my speaking professional.”
Chubey worked on her project several days a week after school and at home, while she rehearsed her speech about the doomed ship for two hours before provincials. She was thrilled with how she presented to the judges because she remembered all the details without referencing her poster board.
“And I thought that it was probably, like, some of the best times I’ve ever done it before,” she remarked.
Chubey participated in the provincial Heritage Fair last year but finished outside the top 10. This year, she was happy with her “come back” and how she finished.
The Sunningdale School student didn’t know much about the British ocean liner, so one interesting thing she came across during her research was an eerily prescient book that had been written before the ship sunk in 1912.
In 1898, author Morgan Robertson wrote “The Wreck of the Titan.” In that novel, the passenger liner Titan sinks after hitting an iceberg and takes most of the people to a watery grave because the ship had few lifeboats.
“And he wrote that before the Titanic sunk, so I thought that was really cool,” Chubey said.
Chubey said she focused on the Titanic because she enjoys learning about history and what life was like in the past. Participating in Heritage Fairs is also good training for when she has an adult job and must speak professionally.
Her goal when she grows up, though, is to be either an interior designer or the prime minister of Canada.
Chubey added that she enjoyed meeting Saskatchewan’s lieutenant governor during the Heritage Fair and thought it was a unique experience touring Government House and its gardens, while she plans to participate in next year’s event.
For more information, visit heritagefairssk.ca.
