Three students from Cedarcrest elementary school will remember fondly these past Christmas holidays. Just before the year ended, Abhiraamy, Lillian and Victoria won the CBC Radio’s Home Run story contest and were able to record their stories at the Radio-Canada studios.
Each year, CBC Radio's afternoon program Home Run holds a holiday writing contest for students from grade 2 to grade 6. This year, the participants had to write about the nicest thing someone has ever done for them. The stories could be true or make believe, so the children could use their imagination to the fullest. Hundreds of entries were sent from all over Montreal, Laval and the South Shore and the best 20 were picked. Out of those 20, three were from Cedarcrest, not bad for a school with a 163 students.
Abhiraamy, Lillian and Victoria created three unique stories, but in many ways, they were similar. Of course, they had to respect the theme, but without consulting each others, the three girls ended up writing about their grandparents. “I wrote about the old book that changed my life that my grandpa gave me,” said Lillian. This book is so special for the nine-year old because according to her it contains all the secrets to take good care of all the animals.
Abhiraamy’s grandfather was just recovering from a heart attack when her father had one. It was a very hard time for her and her family, but some people offered them their support. “People gave us food and helped us, it made us feel better,” she explained.
Grade 2 student Victoria loved her grandmother who passed away a little more than a year ago, but she’ll forever have good memories of her. “She was very nice and important to me, she said. I would sleep over at her home and she would make my favorite breakfast, she also taught me how to sow.”
Going to the radio station to record their stories was also an incredible experience for the three young students. “I felt so shy,” said Lillian, while the other two giggled in approval. However, they knew their stories by hearth and didn’t find it difficult to record them. “I felt proud and wish I could work there one day”, added Lillian.
“I think it’s a once in a lifetime experience for those 7-8-9-year olds to go on the radio and share their stories,” mentioned Governing Board Chairperson Beatrice Cavaliere, who was in charge of the project at Cedarcrest.
Children don’t often get the chance to tell their stories, but when they do, we realise how heartfelt and worthy of our attention they are.
Discover the stories written by Abhiraamy, Lillian and Victoria by clicking on these links:
www.nouvellessaint-laurent.com
www.nouvellessaint-laurent.com
www.nouvellessaint-laurent.com