Brainstorming, war memorials and a movie about the Titanic make Canada's best teachers dream of a pass to Rideau Hall

WINNIPEG, June 14, 2011 / CNW / - Canada's best teachers have diversified their teaching methods to go beyond the more traditional approaches of reading, writing and arithmetic. The new pillars on which learning methods in classrooms are based now include social media, cyberspace and multimedia projects.

Twenty-two outstanding teachers from across the country are receiving special attention nationally because they have successfully made “history into the lives of their students”. For example, these passionate educators guide young people through the process of digitizing interviews with WWII veterans or Holocaust survivors, create multimedia resources about residential schools, and make films featuring between others on the Canadian presence during the fatal voyage of the Titanic.

For their interactive and creative pedagogical approaches, the Société HistoireCanada has chosen the following twenty-two finalists for the 2011 Governor General's Awards for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History.

Lindsay Anderson, Niv Stilman & Yossi Suissa - Calgary Jewish Academy - Calgary, AB
Kimberly Bartlett - Pickering College - Newmarket, ON
Raymond Bedard - McMasterville School of International Education - McMasterville, QC
Sarah Beech & Chad Howie - Valley Creek Middle School - Calgary, AB
Gregory Birkett - Neson A. Boylen Collegiate - Toronto, ON
Shantelle Browning-Morgan - Walkerville Collegiate Institute - Windsor, ON
Pam Calvert - Oakville Trafalgar High School - Oakville, ON
Marie-Laure Chevrier - Anne-Hébert School - Vancouver, BC
Francois Desmarais - Mortagne Secondary School - Boucherville, QC
Flora Fung - Oshawa Central Collegiate - Oshawa, ON
Cynthia Mundell Hahn - Wes Hosford Elementary School - Sherwood Park, AB
Clint Lovell - Eastview Secondary School - Barrie ON
Scott Masters - Crestwood Preparatory College - Toronto, ON
Gilles Paulin - La Fontaine School and Community Center - Neguac, NB
Elizabeth Phipps - Mayfair Community School - Saskatoon, SK
Sylvia Smith - Elizabeth Wyn Wood Alternate High School Program - Ottawa, ON
Andrew Stickings - Grosvenor Wentworth Park School - Halifax, NS
Michael Sweet & Raymond Tomasino - Lester B. Pearson High School - Montreal, QC

For the fifteenth time this year, these Awards will recognize the exceptional contribution of Canadian history teachers at the elementary and secondary levels. Deborah Morrison, President and CEO of the Canadian History Society, believes that “teachers who are of the caliber of those who are finalists this year not only change students' perceptions of Canadian history, but change the perceptions that we have history teaching. "

A panel of judges will select six recipients from among the twenty-two finalists who submitted a dossier describing: accomplishments, achievements and innovations in the field of teaching Canadian history or the humanities. These six recipients will receive 2,500 $, a gold medal and a trip to Ottawa for the Awards at Rideau Hall. Their respective school will also receive a donation of 1000$. The realization of this program, including the awards ceremony, is made possible through the generous support of TD Bank Financial Group.

About the Société Histoire Canada

The History Canada Society is a Winnipeg-based charity with a mandate to popularize Canadian history. In addition to publishing the magazine Canada's History (formerly The Beaver) and the children's magazine Kayaking: Navigating Canadian History, the company also presents a number of awards and leads various initiatives that encourage the discovery, celebration and understanding of a rich national history. For more details, visit www.histoirecanada.ca.