Students at St. Martin de Porres School in Red Deer got an opportunity to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary and learn a thing or two in the process last week.

As part of the school’s new monthly Children Regularly Engaged Actively to Excel (CREATE) sessions, students had the opportunity to participate in various sessions that reflect Canada’s heritage.

“It is Canada’s birthday and I think it’s great for our kids to be part of this interactive experience. CREATE allows the fine arts to be infused into the children’s activities and their learning as well as curriculum, so it’s a great way for them to have choice in what they’re learning,” said Kristine McCullough, the assistant principal at St. Martins.

Students were able to choose three of the 16 activities which included sessions led by professionals from around the community, including the Red Deer Museum, Central Alberta Refugee Effort (C.A.R.E.) and a history professor from Red Deer College.

“We’ve moved away from a one-stop model with the fine arts and so by infusing the fine arts into everything we do daily, weekly and monthly, what we’re finding is that it brings experiential learning to life and kids are allowed choice in their learning and it provides them with the opportunity to choose what it is they’re interested in and to learn more about it,” said school Principal Cathy Cameron.

The event gave students the chance to try new things such as cooking bannock over an open fire, participate in a drum circle, learn about the history of French Canada and of Norwegian Canadians.

“Out of all the participants and the presenters that we have here today; a lot of the presenters here are very specialized about what they know about Canada and Canada’s history and I couldn’t bring that information myself in the quality that they are in the classes. We’re really thankful they’re here,” said Lorie Penner, one of the organizers of the event.

zcormier@reddeerexpress.com