Hon. Carolyn Bertram, Minister of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour joined students from École Évangéline, Kensington Intermediate Senior High and Stone Park Intermediate School this morning to celebrate the launch of a new website showcasing the results of an extensive research project.
Together with the students and teachers, Dr. Sandy McAuley from the UPEI Faculty of Education and Ted Bairstow, Director General for Canadian Culture Online, Minister Bertram was on hand at the Confederation Centre of the Arts Monday morning for a peek into the website: A Living Archives: An Exploration of Island Heritage in the Digital Age.
The website is the culmination of months of student research, using the resources at the provincial Public Archives and Records Office as well as PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation sites and the Archives and Special Collections section of Robertson Library at UPEI. The students studied Island life at the turn of the 20th century, then chose and digitized artifacts, photos, letters, diaries and newspapers to create an historical on-line village.
“This large-scale project was a successful learning experience for everyone involved,” said Minister Bertram. “The website is a wonderful tool for telling important parts of our Island story to Islanders and to everyone who logs in from anywhere in the world.”
“I am very impressed with your project, and you should all be very proud of your accomplishments,” she told the students.
The Public Archives and Records Office of Prince Edward Island offered the program in partnership with Canadian Culture Online, the University of Prince Edward Island, the Provincial Department of Education, the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, Smart Technologies and the Eastern, Western and French School Districts. Funding came from Department of Canadian Heritage and through in-kind contributions of the participating partners. The website can be found at www.livingarchives.ca