“We were looking for a real-world project where students would be able to develop skills and have something to show for their efforts,” explains Chris Holoboff, Assistant Principal with Grand Centre High School in Cold Lake. “This award is a deserving recognition for the dedication of our students and teachers, and for the vision of our local museum society and the Imperial Oil Business-Education Partnership programme to support this collaboration.”

Since 1998, the Cold Lake Museum Society has worked with scores of students and their teachers from Grand Centre High School to build a new gallery about the oil and gas industry, and to renovate other sections of the museum buildings, which were formerly part of a military radar site. Funding for the project came from local businesses and provincial grants. Students host an annual open house and receive credits for their work.

“This project epitomizes the concept behind the award,” says Mary Ellen Herbert, award co-ordinator and Manager of Community Services with the CMN. “From the start, the partners were willing to accept the risk of giving students the freedom to design exhibits, and our judges felt it would generate a strong sense of ownership of heritage and heritage resources for the next generation. In addition, the project presents a useful model for smaller museums to work with partners.”

There were two honourable mentions for the 2004 Museums-Schools Partnership Award. Butterflies of Manitoba is a partnership between the Living Prairie Museum and École Tuxedo Park in Winnipeg. Students designed a butterfly garden with the museum, which developed curriculum-based educational materials to enhance the value of the outdoor classroom.

The other honourable mention is Coming Together, a partnership between Vincent Massey Collegiate and the Leonard and Bina Ellen Art Gallery at Concordia University, Montreal. The gallery and school combined forces to allow the students to learn how a museum works, research a piece of art in the collection, and host their own exhibition.

The judging committee for the 2004 award sifted through submissions representing over 40 institutions from across the country. The award recognizes partnerships between schools and museums for educational programs that enrich students’ understanding and appreciation of Canada’s cultural and natural heritage.

Projects were assessed on a number of criteria including their vision, participation of all partners from the start, collaboration potential and relevance of the project to the community served. “The range of projects is impressive, and all were creative projects that helped instill in students a sense of their Canadian heritage and identity,” added Sadiq Awan, past National President of the CCT.

The Museums-Schools Partnership Award is open to any Canadian school or school board that collaborates with any Canadian non-profit public museum, including zoos and science centres. The submission deadline for the 2005 award is July 31, 2005. For more information, visit the Web site of the Canadian College of Teachers at www.cct-cce.com.

For more information about the projects, to obtain photos or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Dan Smythe
Senior Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Nature
613-566-4781
1-800-263-4433
dsmythe@mus-nature.ca

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