Temma Frecker

 The Booker School, Port Williams (Nova Scotia)

Temma Frecker’s middle school students embarked on a six-week interdisciplinary project that focused on understanding multiple perspectives.

They delved into the timely debate around commemorating controversial historical figures by examining the case study of the statue of Sir Edward Cornwallis, which was removed from a Halifax park earlier this year.

Students researched the history of Sir Edward Cornwallis, the relationship between Nova Scotia’s British and French settlers and the Mi’kmaq, and the context around the creation of the statue in 1931.

Faced with a complex problem, the students created their own unique solution called, “The Conversation,” which they detailed in an official proposal to the committee charged with reviewing the situation. Ms. Frecker’s students also shared their proposal through traditional and social media, and gained significant public support for their work.

In reflecting on the project and process, one of Ms. Frecker’s students said, “I feel our ideas are being taken seriously by many people with more power than us, and that gives us the opportunity to make a contribution to society which could have a great, positive outcome.”