Erin Fletcher
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 30/04) - Rows of upturned faces looking up like sunflowers turned to the sun can be a somewhat daunting experience for any judge.

SAMS student Brent Larocque puts the finishing touches on his moccasins. - Jason Unrau/NNSL photo

So full of promise, the students wait patiently in front of their projects hoping to win the judges over with a toothy grin. They look at us anxiously, stumble over their rehearsed presentation or hand us a plate of some delicious homemade delicacy hoping the special attention will swing some extra points on to their judging card. Some would snap under this much pressure!

Late last month, I had the privilege of being one of four judges selected to pick the winners of the second annual Regional Heritage Fair in Inuvik. I and my fellow judges faced two rooms full of eager faces and incredible projects making for a tough task.

Judging and public speaking are hobbies for me. I've been doing them since I was 14. Although my past experiences were mostly on farm animals -- I judged nationally while in 4H, a youth organization with rural roots -- judging science and heritage fair projects isn't much different. I still approach the subject with the same courteous behaviour and at least with kids I don't have to worry about being bitten or losing my toes under cloven hooves.

Sometimes I think once you've judged one heritage fair you've seen them all. Not so.

Kids always surprise me.

This last fair was full of ingenious approaches to historically related topics. It made the judging extra difficult. There was everything from a homemade model of Inuvik being built,

to the biography of Jordin Tootoo and muskrat traps.

As a judge it's hard to choose one project over another. Every kids deserves to win just for making an effort to attend the fair. But in the end some must lose. The secret to being a good judge is in having an open mind. Don't go with an expectation and you will be pleasantly surprised.

Although hard work, it is an incredibly satisfying experience. I learned some, laughed some and left the fair knowing the most deserved kids will get to go on to the territorials or even the nationals. Giving a child a new experience -- what could be more rewarding than that?