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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 31, 2007 - 13 13 Living Oakville Beaver LIVING EDITOR: ANGELA BLACKBURN Phone: 905-845-3824, ext. 248 Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: angela@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2007 Student connecting Canadian youths By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Welcome aboard Canadian Connections. The conductor on the trip is T. A. Blakelock High School student Julie Harmgardt. "It all started one day when I was indulging in one of my favourite fantasies, travel," said Harmgardt, president of Blakelock's World Council, a new group founded last year to bring awareness of global issues to the student body. The west-end high school student was thinking that in Europe, countries are so close geographically that she could visit several in a short time. Then it struck her how vast Canada is. As Harmgardt, a Grade 11 French Immersion student, was vowing to visit every province and territory in Canada some day, she also vowed not to wait. "In the meantime I will be visiting and learning about different parts of Canada via the mail system. That's where Canadian Connections comes in," said Harmgardt. She has invited other students to join her on what she bills as a journey PHOTOS COURTESY CANADIAN CONNECTIONS of friendship and discovery. Harmgardt is out to link students EXCHANGE: From left, Canadian Connections founder and co-ordinator Julie Harmgardt, with Pine Grove Public from one part of Canada with others. School students Jessica Campaigne, Morgan Barran, Sabrina Barha and Grace Bocking at the Banners Across Canada She has now made her first exchange that was held at Pine Grove at the same time a similar ceremony was held at a French Immersion school in Canadian Connection. Vancouver. Below is the banner received from the Vancouver students. To get the ball rolling, Harmgardt headed back to her public school, them all about each other's school The ceremony happens Pine Grove Public School. lives. The other part involved writing simultaneously at every Principal Chris Alexiou put her in individual friendly letters to our new Parliament building in touch with teacher Kelly Shepherd friends. This ensured our Canadian Canada. and a Grade 6 French Connections journey Harmgardt hosted the Immersion class. was well underway," said Banners Across Canada cerAfter Pine Grove Harmgardt. emony at Pine Grove -- at agreed, Harmgardt had Next came the the same time a similar to find another connecexchange of a banner. event was held at the tion. Each school crafted a Vancouver school. After doing more netbanner that included Special guest for the working, Harmgardt Christmas, Hannukah Oakville event was Halton located a Grade 6 French and Kwanza greetings Region Chair Gary Carr. Immersion class at along with artwork. "At the ceremony the L'Ecole Bilingue in Then they mailed it to students and myself said a Vancover, B.C. willing to the other school. speech about Canadian be the Oakville Canadian At a pre-arranged unity and friendship, before Julie Harmgardt Connection. time in mid-December, the simultaneous unfurling "I began asking famithe two schools unfurled of the banner," said ly and friends if they had any `teacher the banners at the same moment. Harmgardt who is hoping to connections' in another province. "All of Canada's parliamentary expand the program to more And, that's how the B.C./Ontario con- buildings do the same thing as a sign schools across Canada. nection was made. It worked out per- of unity. The celebration is called Now the Vancouver and fectly, because the B.C. connection Lights Across Canada. So, we had our Oakville schools are working was not only the same grade, but also own version, called Banners Across on the compilation of a French Immersion like Pine Grove." Canada," said Harmgardt. scrapbook about their The program has included four Lights Across Canada is a national hometowns. classes -- two in Oakville and two in program whereby all provinces and Students have been trimB.C. -- approximately 100 students. territories join Parliament Hill in an ming articles from newspa"Our first project involved writing annual lighting ceremony reflecting pers, collecting brochures and exchanging a class letter, telling a national spirit of goodwill and unity. and photos, and researching things on the Internet in anticipation of an exchange of scrapbooks. Finally, the students will exchange a friendly letter to say goodbye and thank you to their new friends. This year, the project is a pilot, but Harmgardt is hoping to expand it to more Canadian schools in the future. Participation by high school students enables them to fulfill their required community hours, said Harmgardt. According to L'ecole Bilingue teacher Sonia Marie Schenkel, her students "hammed it up" for photos at the banner unfurling. Also students in B.C. are keen to get a response to their letters. "I guess we have embarked on a letter writing journey which I think is great, especially in this day and age where no one writes letters anymore," said Schenkel. Among the comments raised by students during the banner unfurling was Canada's size, geographic features and economic strengths and weaknesses -- all of which present challenges to unity. "This unique program encourages youth across Canada to foster a sense of national unity," said Harmgardt who is no stranger to getting involved. She was the school liaison for the Town of Oakville's Santa Claus Parade Committee, is on the Oakville Youth Advisory Council (OYAC), is president of Blakelock's World Council/Interact Club president, on her high school's Athletic Council executive and the editor of the school paper, The TABloid. She also volunteers at a seniors' centre. Last year, Harmgardt whose interest in a career in politics was sparked by being a page at Queen's Park, competed in the Toronto Star/Empire Club 2 Young 2 Vote speech contest. Out of 232 submissions, the Oakville student was among 16 finalists asked to deliver her speech at the Royal York Hotel on what the mayor could do for youth. "Canadian Connections binds the students together with ties of friendship, understanding and solidarity. In an effort to cultivate unity among Canadian youth, Canadian Connections has designed a program to spark feelings of Canadian identity through sharing everyday life in a different part of Canada," said Harmgardt. "Our goal is to evoke strong feelings of connection between young people from different provinces and territories," said Harmgardt. Anyone interested can contact Harmgardt at jewelsharmgardt@hotmail.com.