Celebrating Canada
Ellerslie Elementary School presents ‘In Praise of a Nation’
Canadian pride flowed from the stage and overflowed into the audience last Thursday as students of Ellerslie Elementary School presented “In Praise of a Nation,” their tribute to Canada’s 150th anniversary.
“Wow,” said a parent afterwards. “Just wow.”
To prepare for the big stage production, which was under the direction of music teacher Garth MacKay, each class was assigned a different province or territory to learn about and then tell about it in story, song or dramatization.
They dramatized the Battle on the Plains of Abraham, the building of the Canadian Pacific Railroad and, as fellow students sang Rita MacNeil’s “Working Man” song, another group presented a vignette about working in the coalmines.
“This is education at a pretty high standard,” MacKay said.
Canada’s national winter pastime was dramatized on stage as Stompin’ Tom Connor’s “Hockey Song” played. Students also performed a skit to his “Bud the Spud” as part of the school’s presentation about Prince Edward Island which also included reference to Lucy Maud Montgomery and her “Anne of Green Gables.”
“Prince Edward Island is Heaven to Me” was sung.
There were many educational components to the production, acknowledged school principal Jason Cormier.
He said students produced murals about each province and territory based on their research. He told of learning about inukshuks from students who researched Nunavut. A display with about $10,000 worth of Inuit art was set up in a classroom Wednesday and Thursday, proving popular with students.
Grade 4 student Addison Ford said she learned some things about Canada along the way, such as that New Brunswick is home to the longest covered bridge in the world. Ford, who sang “Ice Cream” and was part of the chorus for the “We Rise Again” finale, admitted her favourite part was being on stage. It was evident many other students enjoyed that experience, too.
Cormier said the production was so positive that staff are already considering doing comparable shows in subsequent years, “so that we can continue to educate about this amazing country that we live in.”
Posters of all the provinces and territories are prominently displayed throughout the school.
“It’s been tremendous,” exclaimed the principal. “I’ve never seen the school looking more amazing; I’ve never seen the school feeling more amazing than over the last little bit in preparation for this event. It’s been extraordinary.”
A large appreciative crowd of family members as well as residents of the Stewart Memorial Home attended the afternoon performance.
The show was so well received, MacKay and Cormier decided to keep the stage props together and invite other schools to attend for encore performances.
Asked if he thinks “In Praise of a Nation” had an impact on the Ellerslie students, MacKay remarked, “without question, they are exponentially more excited (about Canada’s 150th anniversary).”