Ava Morin, a grade six student at St. Alexander School is travelling to Queen’s Park this weekend to accept an award for her talents in creative writing. Morin is one of six recipients of the James Bartleman Award, recognizing students under the age of 18 for excellence in Indigenous Youth Creative Writing.
“I wrote about having courage and finding faith in yourself,” says Morin, whose submission is written in the style of a journal entry. “It just came to my mind and when I finished I thought, well I might as well submit it, maybe I’ll have a chance.”
An independent committee of individuals from Indigenous communities review each entry and make recommendations to select recipients. Each of the award-winners will also walk away with $2,500 for their efforts.
Native-as-a Second Language (NSL) teacher, Tory Fisher says he is proud of his pupil, who he encouraged to submit her work. “She is a very bright student and her writing is really powerful,” he says.
When asked about the experience, Morin says she was initially nervous but is now very excited. “I’ve never been on a plane before so I’m excited to fly to Toronto,” she says.
