The 2011 District 16 Heritage Fair, hosted by Nelson Rural School, was held on May 26. A total of 47 projects on a wide variety of topics were presented for judging. Many of the projects were inspired by personal connections to the past as the students explored their own heritage and did a lot of their research very close to home. Other projects explored such topics as the early settlement of the Miramichi region and the development of local industries. The overall winner was Lindsay Jay-Keating with her project titled the History of Quilting.
Lyndsay Jay-Keating of Harkins Middle School recently returned from the Canada-Wide Science Fair 2011 held at Seneca College in Toronto. Lindsay received Bronze Medal level recognition and a cash prize in the Junior Division for her project “No Bull About It”. Lindsay also received a $1 000 entrance scholarship to any Ontario university.
District 16 recently acknowledged the accomplishments of 27 of its students at the annual Turnaround Achievement Awards Dinner at the Rodd Miramichi River Hotel. Each of the districts’ schools and three First Nation schools selected a student that had found academic success having overcome obstacles that had interfered with their progress. The recipients were honoured by their teachers and family as well as school and district administrators. Each had their accomplishments highlighted through a video presentation to the large audience as they received their award and a gift.
Theatre enthusiasts from four district 16 elementary schools performed very entertaining plays at the Miramichi Valley High School auditorium on Tuesday May 17 at the Third Annual District 16 Drama Fest. Hosted by drama students from MVHS, the well run event was thoroughly enjoyed by the more than 100 participants and the audience alike. Nelson Rural School performed What a Knight and received the award for “Character Work”. North and South Esk Elementary School performed a play called Best of Both Worlds which won recognition from the adjudicators for “Costume Design”.
Elder abuse, bullying, animal welfare and freedom were among the topics about which District 16 students spoke eloquently in the recent high school oratory contest held at James M. Hill Memorial High School. Two representatives from the district’s 5 high schools had a five minute time frame to speak to the audience on a topic of their choice followed by a one minute impromptu speech on a randomly selected topic, drawn from a box, for which they had 30 seconds to prepare.
Approximately 200 girls and 50 volunteers which included School Champions, activity leaders and other partners participated in the Go Girl Festival on Tuesday, May 11 at the Golden Hawk Recreation Center in Miramichi. A group of Grade 6-10 girls from most schools in District 16 and our 4 First Nation Communities attended and participated in various events throughout the day. Girls were invited to see and try a variety of sessions lead by community volunteers.
The District 16 Middle School Oratory Competition was held recently at Dr. Losier Middle School. Sarah Doak of the host school earned first place with her speech on “Emotions”. Craig Fernandez of North and South Esk Regional High School, who spoke on the topic of “Bullying” placed second and Layne Wallace of Nelson Rural School placed 3rd with a speech titled “Girls Who Bully Girls”. The award for best Impromptu Speech went to Ashlyn Moody of Blackville School. Representatives of Harkins Middle School, Millerton School and Miramichi Rural School also participated.
Congratulations to the winners of the First Annual Kin Film Fest.The winning films in the Kinsmen Category were:First Place: 'Shane at the SPCA' by Shane JohnstonSecond Place: 'Volunteering and You' by Breckan Delano, Mike Tucker, Thomas Girouard and Dylan DoucetteThird Place: 'The Importance of Volunteering' by Gehrig Hale and Caleb AridanoThe winning films in the Open Category were:First Place: 'Job Interview' by Samuel Crowell, Coralie Curtis and Megan McKinelySecond Place: 'Locked In' by Sebastian McLaughlin, Ryan Van Buskirk and Matt ChiassonThird Place: 'Ambiguous' by Muhammad Farhan Hos
School District 16 and the Miramichi Kinsmen are pleased to announce the finalists for the Kin Film Fest. There were 47 entries in all and the finalists are:The Kinsmen Category:"The Miramichi Food Bank" by Harkins Middle Tech Club"The Importance of Volunteering" by Gehrig Hale and Caleb Aridano"Why Volunteering is Important" by Maddie McNeil and Hanna Dunn"Volunteering" by Harkins Elementary Grade 4D"Volunteering and You" by Breckan Delano, Mike Tucker, Thomas Girouard and Dylan Doucette"Shane at the SPCA" by Shane Johnston"For the Love of the Game" by AJ Adams, Ian Waters and Spencer Waye"A
