Students receive royal award

Page 17

In this, the 25th anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award in Alberta, 21 of 37 bronze award recipients went to Native students aged 14 to 18.

The Young Canadians Challenge awards were started by Prince Philip in other parts of Canada in 1956.

The objectives, explained Craig Stange from the awards office in Calgary, are to build self-esteem, self-respect and self-reliance by rewarding youth for their achievements in community service , skill or hobby development, physical recreation and outdoor living.

"We're trying to build a link with Aboriginal kids and with rural kids to get the word out about the awards and to get more kids involved in a lot of good stuff," that will benefit them and their communities, said Stange.

Award committee director Marion Jagger said the awards are an incentive for youth to give back to their community and to be good citizens.

Stange added that it is Shaun Hains, a Native studies teacher and guidance counsellor at W. P. Wagner High School who gets the credit for encouraging youth to go after the Bronze Standard.

Four of this year's recipients happened to come from the same clan, the Thomas family ? Fabian, Des, Jules and Tiffany.

The Thomases said they felt very fortunate and honored and they hope to rise to the silver and gold levels as well.

"It (the award) gives me self-confidence and more self-respect," said Fabian. "I'm going to make my way to gold."

Jules explained his own recognition for his achievements in extra-curricular activities, such as Native language, religion, arts and crafts, Native history and the traditions he's learned about such as sweats, pipe ceremonies, smudging and dancing.

Tiffany has attended Amiskwaciy Academy since last fall. She acknowledged the Aboriginal cultural component at her school as contributing to her progress towards the bronze award.

The other Aboriginal recipients were Cynthia Albert, Christie Birch, Stephanie Burgess, Angel Chalifoux, Wanda Delorme, Cherish Fairclough, Michael Hackett, Adam and Nicole Hains, Steve Kaz, Monique Letendre, Jolan Naismith, Lisa Orton, Bryan Shelfantook, Evelyn Takuski, Lindsay Walker and Leann Wedderein, from W.P. Wagner, Amiskwaciy and Ross Sheppard high schools.

At the Edmonton Public School Board Centre of Education on Feb. 16, the awards ceremony was opened with a prayer by Korean war veteran Don Chalifoux.

Following words of welcome were introductions by Michael Ricketts, president for the Alberta, Northwest Territory and Nunavut division of the program, which has more than 5,000 registered student members.

Edmonton's deputy mayor, Larry Langley, presented the awards, consisting of a certificate and a pin bearing the royal family's logo. Some of the recipients will go on to the silver award category in the fall, which will be presented by Lieutenant-Governor Lois Hole, and to the gold, which will be presented by a member of the royal family in the fall of 2002.

To be eligible for an award, students must participate in the program for six months to reach bronze level; one year to reach silver; and 18 months to reach gold.

Elder Eva Ladouceur performed a closing prayer and sang a Cree/English rendition of God Save the Queen.