Students Earn Top Marks from the Governor General of Canada

WINNIPEG, Dec. 2, 2011 /CNW/ - A group of students from British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia are making their mark in history by receiving top honours from the Governor General of Canada.  On Monday, December 12, 2011, six students from coast to coast will grace the hallowed halls of Rideau Hall in Ottawa, where His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada will present them with their prestigious awards.

The 2011 Governor General's History Award recipients are:

2011 Begbie Canadian History Contest
Jeffrey Tso (Burnaby North Secondary - Burnaby, B.C.)
Eden Nzeyimana (Riverside Secondary School in Port Coquitlam, BC)

Great Canadian Questions Essay Competition
Caroline Beaulieu (Universitie du Quebec - Chicoutimi, QC)
Matthew Piva (St. Ann's Acadmey - Kamloops, B.C.)

Kayak Kids Illustrated Challenge
Divya Santhanam (University of Toronto School - Toronto, ON)
Emilya Snow (Greenwood, NS)

These talented students penned provocative essays, tested their history trivia, recreated the deportation of the Acadians in the 1750's and told the tale of heroic Canadian soldiers during the First World War in colourful comic strip style to capture top-place honours in the nation-wide Kayak Kids Illustrated Challenge, Great Canadian Questions Essay and the Begbie Canadian History Contest.

"The Governor General's History Awards provide a natural opportunity to encourage promising young students to pursue their passion and interest in Canadian history," said Deborah Morrison, President & CEO of Canada's History Society.  "These students will have the chance to meet some of the country's best teachers, academic and public historians, as well as writers and media producers at a time when they are just beginning to think about their future career options.  But I have every expectation that the rest of our award recipients will benefit just as much if not more from meeting these exceptional students."

The announcement and presentation of the awards are included as part of the new Governor General's History Awards. The following students will receive cash prizes, provided by TD Bank Group, the Historica-Dominion Institute and the Begbie Society.  In addition, they will receive an all expense paid trip to Ottawa and a medal from Canada's History Society.

Media are invited to attend the Governor General's History Awards on December 12, 2011 at 10 a.m. at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

In total, seventeen Canadians will be honoured alongside the students as part of the Governor General's History Award presentation.  Announcements continue throughout the coming week and profiles of all the recipients, along with the student stories and essays will be available at www.CanadasHistory.ca/GGAwards.

The Governor General's History Awards bring together students, teachers, historians, museums and community organizations, writers and media producers to celebrate as well as learn from each other.  The day prior to the award ceremonies, recipients will participate in a public history forum at Library and Archives Canada.  This year's forum, "Speaking of History: How History is Explored Beyond the Classroom" is open to the public to attend onsite or online by registering at www.CanadasHistory.ca/Forum.

About Canada's History Society
Canada's History Society is a national charitable organization devoted to popularizing Canadian history.  In addition to presenting the Governor General's History Awards, the Society also publishes Canada's History (formerly The Beaver) magazine, and Kayak: Canada's History Magazine for Kids, as well as produces a number of educational and online programs to encourage more discovery, celebration, and understanding about our rich history and culture.  More details can be found at www.CanadasHistory.ca.

For further information: