We are pleased to share that 23 BSS students wrote winning essays for The Government of Canada History Awards, distinguishing themselves nationally. Students wrote essays addressing one of the following topics: reconciliation with indigenous peoples, the First World War, Expo 67, Canadian identity, or the development of a new national historic site. We have profiled 3 of our 23 outstanding winners to hear, in their own words, about their submissions:
Beth GOUDA ’20
“My essay was called “A Moment in Canadian History that Shaped my Identity.” It was about the Canadian Citizenship Act of 1947, which I chose to write about because it allowed immigrants like my paternal family to integrate into Canadian society with the same freedoms as everyone else.”
Sofia TOSELLO ’20
“My essay “The Hills that have Spoken” was about Cypress Hill Massacre, and why there should be a monument built to commemorate the event. I chose this topic because I wanted to inform students and teachers about a historic Canadian event which they may have never heard of, as well as bring awareness to the importance of Canadian identity through historical Canadian events.”
Sarah CHIODO ’20
“My essay is titled: “Expo 67: An Inspiration for Youth Today”. I chose to write my essay on Expo 67, Montreal’s World Exhibition, because after doing some preliminary research, its message that human ingenuity is not only at the heart of past progress but a future of bright and endless possibilities, seemed inspiring and relatable to my generation. I immediately thought of how forward thinkers like Britanny McMillan, who created #SpiritDay, and Malala Yousafzai, who started #WeAreSilent, would not have been able to launch such transformative human rights campaigns if it were not for developments in social media. Not only were they able to unite millions of supporters worldwide but they also managed to build global awareness for their respective causes against bullying that targets LGBT teenagers and barriers to women’s education. With this in mind, the challenge before me seemed exciting: a paper that spoke about how humanity’s quest to better itself through technological advancement is one example of the important bridge between past and present.”
