SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Three Yellowknife students brought their heritage into the spotlight and are featured in the national Young Citizens program of Canada's History.

Kea Furniss holds traditional snowshoes, like those she wore during the Arctic Winter Games. - NNSL screenshot

The non-profit organization works to popularize Canadiana and every year, students across the country dig into the facts that make up their own history as part of the society's heritage fairs. Students then present within their schools, at a regional and territory or province-wide competition.

Winners from the territorial and provincial competitions have the option of creating a video out of their Heritage Fair subject, which can range from Canadian heroes to legends and important moments in the country's history.

Out of 200 entries in total, eight students from the Northwest Territories will have a chance to win a trip to Ottawa and three William McDonald Middle School students are hoping their projects make the cut.

The students all learned a lot about video production, from filming to editing.

At the end of August, the students will find out whether they will be heading to Ottawa and in the meantime they have a new appreciation for a piece of Canada they now know much more about.

Cassie Rogers
Age: 12
Subject: Scottish ties in Nova Scotia

My great great grandfather immigrated from Scotland, so I researched how the Scots immigrated to Nova Scotia and what traditions they brought with them like food, clothes, music and sports. I learned a lot about the Highland Games. I didn't realize how big it was because last summer I actually went to the Antigonish Highland Games but I didn't really know much about them. When I researched more online I learned that they're the longest lasting Highland Games outside of Scotland.

I got a lot of information on tartans. Tartan is a plaid except it represents people, families and places, so I found tartans of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton and the Northwest Territories, as well as my family tartans, which I'd never seen before.

I found a quilt my mom had of all those tartans.

I learned a lot about my family, like what life was like for my grandparents.

Kea Furniss
Age: 14
Subject: Snowshoeing

This year was an Arctic Winter Games year and we were going to go to Greenland. Two years ago I went for cross-country skiing, so I thought I'd do biathlon this year but didn't make the team. I really love to run, so someone said I should try out for snowshoeing, so I did and made the team. I went to the games and then started my project because I wanted to learn more about it.

I researched about the origin, how snowshoes were made, the different forms and different shapes of the snowshoes and I also did a part of the science behind and it on how they float on the snow.

It was pretty interesting to learn that the process in making the snowshoe was split between the woman and man. The man chose the tree to cut and soak and shape, then the woman does the tying and laces and adding the bindings.

That was pretty cool to learn that they did it together.

At the games you have to use traditional snowshoes and traditional ties, not a binding, and mukluks without any hard soles. We did one race that was 2.5 kilometres and I came in second. The second day was a sprint day - we did 100 metres, 800 metres and 400 metres and then combined results - I came in fourth that day. My team came in third in the relay and I came in first in the five-kilometre race.

Mia MacInnis
Age: 14
Subject: Better World Canada

I did my project on an organization in Canada that works with other countries and does humanitarian work.

The organization is called a Better World Canada. Four years ago when I was in Grade 4, my parents were both working at Sir John Franklin School and through a student, I got involved. Both my sister and I fundraised to build a school in Kenya and then we visited its grand opening that March break (in 2012).

Since then, we've been working with them and this past March break we travelled to Kenya again.

Before I left I knew there was poverty and stuff but seeing it and realizing how grateful everyone was changed my mindset. I think it made me a lot more grateful in my own life as well.

I wanted to talk about our main trips but I also wanted to talk about how they have five parts to their organization: water, agriculture, education, income and health.

I learned how easy projects can fail and how you can make them succeed. I learned the steps of how that works because before I never really realized how one little thing actually plays a big part in making a project successful.

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