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Legion awards

Three Rossland winners will be moving on to the provincial level of the Legion’s national Remembrance Contest after zone (regional) judges made their picks in January.
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Rossland News Reporter Regional Legion Remembrance Contest winners were presented with their awards last week. L to R - Doug Halladay

Three Rossland winners will be moving on to the provincial level of the Legion’s national Remembrance Contest after zone (regional) judges made their picks in January.

From roughly 140 essays, poems, and colour and black-and-white posters in four age categories submitted by RSS and MacLean students last November, members of Legion’s Branch No. 14 of Rossland chose and awarded the best submissions with $25 for first, $15 for second, and $10 for third place.

Then, the first place winners from the branch level had their submissions sent to the West Kootenay zone judges.

“I sent in the nine first place entries to the zone, and we got seven cheques back! I think that was great,” said Bobbi Lafonde of the Rossland branch when she and branch president Doug Halladay came to RSS on Feb. 8 to give out prizes totaling $320.

Among the Juniors (Grades 4-6), Allie Stanley earned first place for her colour poster, Connor Dunham earned second for his essay, and Emma Farley earned third for her black-and-white poster.

In the Intermediate division (Grades 7-9), Rachel Aiken earned both first place for her essay and second place for her photo, and Maggie Chan earned first place for her colour poster.

Among the Seniors (Grades 10-12), Jessica Britton earned third place for her poem.

In all categories, in addition to the $25 they had already earned at the branch level, first place zone winners received $60, second place got $40, and third place got $30.

“The three [first place winners] at the zone go on to the provincial,” Lafonde explained. “We’re hoping that these three will go on to be first, second, or third at provincial. That’s a real boost, I think.”

Provincial winners earn more cash and first place winners move on to the dominion level where awards range from $100 to $500, and a trip for two to Ottawa.

Looking to next year, Lafonde encouraged the students to try again and asked that they be mindful of word limits.

“There was a real good Junior essay that came in, but it was too long,” she said. “To that little boy, do it again! It was really good.”

Rossland’s seven winners was surpassed only by Nakusp, whose children earned 12 awards. Trail earned six, Kaslo got five, Castlegar got three, and Salmo and Slocan each earned one.