Education
November 14, 2012

Provincial Government Continues Support for Heritage Fairs Program

The Provincial Government is again providing $15,000 to support the Heritage Fair Program, which this year will involve the participation of about 100 schools and an estimated 6,500 students throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

“The Heritage Fair Program enhances the school curriculum by allowing students to express their creativity while learning about their provincial and national heritage,” said the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Education. “This year, students are encouraged to make use of technology and their research skills to create projects focusing on the theme, My Newfoundland and Labrador – Ma province Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador.”

The Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Fair Program began in 1997 as part of a national initiative designed to bring history to life for students in Grades 4-9. Directly linked to the school curriculum, the program allows students to showcase projects they have created, using a variety of media, in school and regional fairs to be held throughout the province in the spring of 2013.

In this province, the program is implemented through the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.

“For the 16th year, the Heritage Fair Program will allow students to improve their research, presentation and communication skills as they learn something new about who they are and where they’ve come from,” said Andrea MacDonald, Executive Director of the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. “As part of this program, students have fun interviewing community storytellers, enjoying our cultural landscape, and researching key people and events from our past. This is an important project and we acknowledge the thousands of volunteers and spectators who contribute each year to its success.”

The Provincial Government is investing $2 million this year in its Cultural Connections Strategy, which aims to enhance arts programs and cultural content in schools across the province.

For more information about the Heritage Fair Program, visit the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador website at: www.historicsites.ca/projects/heritage-fairs/

- 30 -

Media contacts:

2012 11 14                       12:15 p.m.