When Paige Thompson, of Bedeque, decided to do her P.E.I. Heritage Fair project on Charlottetown’s Beaconsfield Historic House, she never would have guessed she would find a personal connection to the venerable building.
The 11-year-old Athena Consolidated student is a budding history buff and loves old buildings especially. That’s why she chose to do her project on Beaconsfield.
Once she got into her research, Paige discovered her seventh great-grandfather was George Coles, a Father of Confederation and a contemporary of Thomas Haviland, whose daughter Edith Peak and husband James built Beaconsfield in 1877.
“I’m really happy about that. I worked so hard on (the project),” said Paige.
She is one of 15 P.E.I. finalists now representing their region in the Young Citizens program and have a chance to attend the national competition at Canada’s History Forum later this year in Ottawa.
As part of the selection process, she had to do a video report on her project and upload it to the Young Citizens website. Part of the process is a public vote, so anyone interested in helping Paige rack up more votes can do so by visiting www.youngcitizens.ca and finding her profile. There are also a number of other Prince County area students with projects on display there and votes can be cast for them as well. Students who participate in Heritage Fairs also have the
Four students from across Canada will eventually be chosen to go to Ottawa.
Voting ends June 22.
Win the trip to Ottawa or not, Paige just wants to spread the word on just how awesome a place Beaconsfield house is and would encourage anyone, who has never visited, to do so.
@JournalPMacLean
HL: Island student videos
The following is a list of all the P.E.I. students who have submitted videos to the Young Citizens video contest:
- Kierra MacDougall, Athena Consolidated: My Métis Heritage
- Paige Thompson, Athena Consolidated: Beaconsfield Historic House
- Lucy Francis, École Evangeline: My historic house/Ma maison historique
- Cierra Bridges, Hernewood: Wonda Who Wanda Was?
- Oscar Cormier, West Kent: The Spy from P.E.I.
- Henry Pursey, Parkdale: Vimy Ridge
- Basel Al Rashdan, Queen Charlotte: As long as the sun and moon endure I am a treaty person
- Anna Paquet, Grace Christian: Forgotten Pandemic – the Spanish Flu
- Etienne Foulkes, École Francois-Buote: “Anne of Green Gables - the Musical”/“Anne...la maison aux pignons vert la comidie musicale”
- Blanche Etkin-Blake, École Francois-Buote: Charlottetown Farmers Market/L'importance du marche des fermiers
- Belle Panton, Donagh Regional: Life in the Trenches 1914-1918
NOTE: This article has been updated to reflect an error. Four students from across Canada will be chosen to go to Ottawa, not necessarily two from P.E.I.
