Grade 7 girl delves into her home’s past and nets national history award
Kristen Schulz was inspired by mom’s discovery of old bottle, iron
North Vancouver Grade 7 student Kristen Schulz has won a Canada History Society Young Citizens award for a video she made about her family home.
When Schulz’s parents bought the North Vancouver heritage home, they found several historical artifacts.
“I was inspired to do this project when my mom showed me some things she found in our house — an old glass bottle, an iron.
“I wanted to know who had owned them,” said Schulz.
Schulz began her digging at the city archives, learned to read original census documents as well as birth and death certificates.
The project was selected by her school, Ross Road elementary, for entry in a Canada History Society competition on learning history through filmmaking.
By researching the history of her home, which was built in 1926, Schulz was able to explore the ways in which built environments connect us to our communities, and ask questions about how preservation connects us to the richness of our past.
Discovering the stories of former residents was exciting for Schulz — among the surprises was discovering former District of North Vancouver mayor Sam Sowden had once lived at the home.
Schulz is one of six young competitors who will receive Young Citizens awards and travel to Ottawa in December to meet the Governor General and attend the Governor General’s History Awards.