Peter Bjornson

Recipients of the 2003 Governor General's Award for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History

June 3, 2010

Gimli High School, Gimli (Manitoba)

Peter Bjornson uses cross–curricular projects and community partnerships to get his students thinking “out of the books.” His classes take ownership of local heritage, learning the importance of history as they explore national and global connections to their own local stories. “Heritage Mural” has students delve into local Icelandic and Ukrainian heritage. For the “Pageant Wagon Project” students create heritage dioramas. In “Staging an Archaeological Dig” professionals are invited to teach their craft to the students who in turn conduct their own dig and create a “Story Box” with their findings.