A grade nine student at La Glace School has been nationally recognized for her essay, titled The Poppy. Kate Goodward’s essay was entered into the annual literary competition put on by The Royal Canadian Legion and The Legion National Foundation to promote remembrance and help support youth education for Canadian students from grades 1 to 12.
Goodward’s piece captured first place at the Sexsmith Legion Branch #60. She then saw her essay move through the provincial stage of the competition, and once again she was victorious in the Legion’s National Foundation level of the contest in Ottawa, with a first-place finish.
Goodward has been taking part in different legion competitions since she was in grade 1. She was a little surprised but also says she’s thrilled to see The Poppy do so well. She is also the first local student to win the national title.
“I didn’t expect to win at the national level, because I didn’t think the Intermediate level made it that far.”
La Glace School Principal Heidi Hargreaves says that she and the school community is very proud of Kate for this accomplishment. She adds that Goodward is a role model for students as well.
“Kate took a chance with her writing, not for a good grade, but because she was passionate about the topic. Now, here she is receiving a National Level Award!”
There are a total of 1,350 Legion branches across the country. The branches nominate one entry per category to the provincial level, where they once again evaluate what they believe to be the best work. The final step is judging from the Legion National Foundation, where a winner is chosen. The literary contest is divided into junior (grades 4-6), intermediate (grades 7-9), and senior (grades 10-12) categories. The poster contest is only open to students from grades 1-3.
Kate’s essay can be found on page four of the Legion National Foundation winners booklet.
