WINNIPEG -- Two teachers from St. John’s Ravenscourt School have been recognized by Canada’s Governor General for a student project that culminated with the publishing of a book that offers a path to reconciliation.
Teachers Jock Martin and Heather Ragot guided their Grade 11 students, whose research included conversations with residential school survivors and visits to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, to publish the book “Reconciling the Past, Finding a New Path.”
On Monday they received the Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching in a ceremony at Rideau Hall.
The awards, given to nine teachers in 2020 who were selected from 25 nominees, are administered by Canada’s History Society.
Of Martin and Ragot’s project, which saw students delve into the history and current impact of colonialism in Canada, the organization said, “This diverse approach to understanding the past and the present through history and language arts allowed students to deepen their historical thinking skills and to demonstrate an increased understanding of and empathy for the experiences of Indigenous people in Canada.”
The teachers share a $2,500 prize while their school received $1,000.
