May. 24, 2017
By Asha and Emily, Grade 8 Students, Tom Baines School
If you walked into the Edgemont Community Association on the morning of Saturday, May 6, you would see an incredibly beautiful sight. You would see adorable Grade 1 and 2 students dressed up in their cultural attires. You would see Chinese seniors performing traditional lion dances. You would see several older students sharing their stories through carefully decorated booths. Most amazingly of all, you would be able to witness one of the most important days in the lives of forty new Canadians receiving their Citizenship. What you would see is the immense cultural diversity of Edgemont coming together to celebrate the 150th Birthday of our great Nation.
In the fragmented world that we are living in today, it is more important now than ever before that we are able to talk with, learn about, and support our fellow neighbours. As residents of Edgemont, we are very lucky to be living in a place where we are able to see this type of community building every single day.
A perfect event at which neighbours showed their spirit of inclusiveness, as well as fostered a better sense of community, was this year’s Sixth Annual One World Celebration. This celebration had amazing performances, interactive activities, interesting conversations and, of course, delicious food!
As in past years, this was a joint venture, with students and their unique work from many of our participating community schools. This included the fashion show from Edgemont School, the seniors weaving project from Mother Mary Greene, the cultural booths and jazz band from Tom Baines School, as well as the language displays and photo booth from Sir Winston Churchill High School. Local agencies including the Calgary Chinese Citizens Elderly Association and the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association were also on site to raise awareness about their important work and share some of their own stories. As well, the Calgary Public Library Book Truck was on hand to promote reading.
In order to commemorate the 150 years of Canadian Confederation, One World was held both inside and outside amidst the breathtaking, truly Canadian Edgemont panorama. In honour of our country, many Canadian projects were also displayed. The Grade 4students at Edgemont School spent hours researching Canadian sports and recreating games including lacrosse, hockey and curling. Students from Mother Mary Greene School were very busy building 3D models of some of the most famous Canadian landmarks to exhibit. Tom Baines students shared their Three Things for Canada initiative in which every student and teacher has been encouraged to pledge to do Three Things to make their community a better place. These projects all represented the rich history and diversity of Canada.
A huge thank you goes out to the Calgary Stampede who provided a warm, western atmosphere pancake breakfast. There’s nothing better than receiving the Calgary specialty - a stack of pancakes with some oozing maple syrup and a yummy sausage!
The part of this amazing day that made us all cry was the Citizenship Ceremony for forty new Canadians. From all different countries, backgrounds, and cultures, all speaking different languages, these forty people came here to make Canada their new home. We were reminded that what makes our Country so great is people living, working, and playing together in peace and harmony as well as the way we accept newcomers with open arms and hearts. After all, that is the true definition of Canada.
Of course, this event would not have been possible without all the hard work of the One World planning committee who dedicated countless hours to planning this day. And to all the Edgemont community members who contributed or even just came out to enjoy the morning -thank you! Our community would not be what it is without all of its incredible residents!
Let us all embrace the Canadian spirit by wholeheartedly accepting our new neighbours and making the sesquicentennial year of our Nation the very best we have ever had! Happy 150th Birthday Canada!
