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Historica Fair at Dormick Park Elementary

This was the first year that Dormick Park Elementary School participated in the Historica Fair, a program sponsored in part by the MSA Museum Society in Abbotsford, BC. The program is an educational initiative designed to increase awareness of and interest in Canadian history and heritage. Preparations for Dormick Park Elementary School’s fair began in early December 2007, when students in grades 4 and 5 were encouraged to explore historical aspects of their family background and culture to make their projects more meaningful to them. To get the students thinking about their projects and to help them generate ideas for research topics, the students learned about project guidelines and expectations, engaged in group discussions, viewed slideshows from other fairs and watched Historica Minutes. The students were encouraged to talk with their parents about their family heritage and culture, eventually committing to a topic.

In early January 2008, the students began the first stage of their projects by conducting research, gathering information from the internet, books and archives, and conducting interviews. Guest speakers from the MSA Museum Society were invited to give presentations on community history, demonstrate how to build eye-catching display boards and educate students about the archive and library resources available to them. Teachers facilitated and guided students through the research process, but the projects are student-led and most of the work was completed at home with parent involvement and/or participation.

By the end of January, the written research component was completed, marked and handed back. The next two weeks were dedicated to producing poster boards featured at the school fair. Along with the poster board, students were required to produce a creative component to add to their display. This creative component could have been in the form of a model, props and artifacts, audio/visual display, drama and/or music.

Once the students had completed their projects the teachers stepped in to organize the fair. Guest judges were invited to the school to interview students about their topics. The fair took place in the afternoon with judges and students from other classes in attendance. This was followed by an open house in the evening for family and friends. Guests visited the displays, talked to the students and enjoyed the donated refreshments. The week following the fair, a dozen students were chosen to represent the school at the regional Historica Fair.

Watch a video about the school's experience.