Grand Prize 1998 Winner
Mark Bridges
Waterdown, Ont.
Woodland Park Public School
COGECO Cable

Mark Bridges received top honours for a project on the theme of Freedom. Working with two grade eight classes, Mr. Bridges designed a project intended to combine the subjects of geography, history, language arts and computers into a learning tool which used video as a starting point to stimulate their interest in a fundamental right which too often we take for granted. Mr. Bridges, who sees video as an ideal way to get students to "tune into learning at a higher level", relied on a number of A&E documentaries for the project.

"Freedom: It's your Right, It's your Life!" was developed from of a series of 10 A&E broadcasts, all of which were run as part of the Cable in the Classroom program. Mr. Bridges had his students break down the concept of freedom into several sub-themes, among them 'freedom to feel secure', 'freedom to dream', 'freedom at risk' and 'freedom lost'. Using A&E shows such as Birth of a Nation: The Principles of Freedom, 20th Century: Gang Violence in America, Houdini: The Great Escape and Money, Business and Free Enterprise, Mr. Bridges asked his students to consider these various sub-themes and think up ideas about how to capture them in specific projects. They produced biographies, stories, amateur videos, collective reflections based on concepts such as 'values' and on current events, posters and other community promotion products, and may other forms of activity which explored and responded to the idea of freedom in all its forms. They also studied how new information technologies such as the internet can be used to advance, and to hurt, the cause of freedom.

Throughout this process, Mr. Bridges encouraged his students to think critically about how the concept, and pursuit, of freedom, which at first glance is viewed by everyone as a 'good' thing, can actually have negative as well as positive results. The students were put into the role of teacher as well as learner; they were asked to judge as well as be judged; to advocate as well as to absorb, and to see freedom as a responsibility, not simply a right. Through his enthusiasm for critical learning, and creative teaching, Mr. Bridges provided his students with the opportunity to see, understand and act in the world around them in new and meaningful ways.

First Prize 1998 Winner Tim Sloane
St. Catherine's, Ont.
Orchard Park Elementary School
COGECO Cable

Tim Sloane won 1st Prize for his work with grade 7/8 gifted students to produce an extremely creative project entitled: "A Study in Mystery," which incorporated a number of ideas relevant to the subjects of english, math, science and technology, visual arts, music, geography and history into an intricate tale of suspense and discovery.

Utilizing the A&E program The Pale Horse (based on the Agatha Christie novel) as a catalyst to explore the intriguing topic of mystery, Mr. Sloane (who styled himself as "The Commissioner") and his students ("the detectives") created a detailed and varied series of mystery stories. Their project took the shape of an investigation which required the judges to uncover various pieces of evidence in the form of "peoples exhibits" to produce a conclusion. They made use of video, audio tape, creative writing, photography, art and visual design as forms of 'evidence' to develop their stories and integrate different learning techniques. The results included a mystery video (Unsuspected), radio scripts and recordings, short stories, musical lyrics and recordings, analyses of crime scenes, a package of police 'evidence', mystery codes and a humourous "most wanted" poster that had a mug shot of each student and the crime they were alleged to have committed. Among other activities was a field trip to a local police headquarters and crime analysis station were they learned first hand what is involved in criminal investigations.

Creative thinking and teamwork were two key ideas Mr. Sloane was able to instill in his students through this project. He was able to stimulate in unique ways their imagination and curiosity for learning, and created a number of Hercules, Poirot and Miss Marple disciples in the process!

Second Prize 1998 Winner, Bobby Nicholson
Montague, PEI
Montague High School
Island Cable

Bobby Nicholson wanted to find ways to encourage his grade 12 english students to transform their required reading assignments into a living experience which would make them more understanding of the purpose and value of the novel, and to learn something of the challenges involved in adapting the written word to the screen. For this he chose A&E's Jane Eyre.

Mr. Nicholson's students first read Charlotte Brontė's famous novel, and then watched the A&E production. They collectively considered means to analyze, interpret and explain the complexity of the story using various english and multi-media forms, such as diary entries, letters, poetry, a video slide show, a video news broadcast, a video documentary, a diorama, an objective test and a video critique or satire. In order to ensure variety and originality in each format, and to draw out the complexity of the text, they had to produce some considerable detail. This was accomplished through the use of video and computer technology, which allowed the students to learn and work in a studio setting where they could experiment and create visual images designed to 'bring to life' the central messages of Jane Eyre - the pain and hope of loneliness; the struggle and determination of hardship; the glory and tragedy of love.

Linking past with present through the production of a series of contemporary video shows which sought to put the story of Jane Eyre into a 20th century context gave Mr. Nicholson's students the opportunity to see how the central story can be modernized and 'technologized'. At the same time, using the diary entries, letters and poetry as a means to creatively explore the personal level of the novel provided the students with a historical sense of literary appreciation. Finally, the 'movie critic' role allowed the students to think critically about the challenges of transforming literary imagination to a visual form. In this way, the objective of bringing Jane Eyre 'to life' was accomplished, and most certainly remembered!

Third Prize 1998 Winner Karin Paul and Charlotte Deslippe
Victoria, BC
St. Andrew's Regional High School
Shaw Cable

Karin Paul and Charlotte Deslippe, along with their junior/senior high school Religion and English students created a veritable smorgasbord of imaginative and colourful products to illustrate the literary world of Charles Dickens and Victorian England.

Based on A&E's Biography - Charles Dickens: A Tale of Ambition and Genius - the "Dickens Project" integrates the subjects of English, Art, History and Media Technology. Ms. Paul and Ms. Deslippe sought to encourage their students to critically and creatively illustrate the works of Dickens through various multi-media forms. Once encouraged, their students were off to the races. As Karin and Charlotte put it, the "Dickens Project was entirely student driven...they worked on the project after school, on weekends and during the Christmas and Spring Breaks holidays."

The students used the A&E Dickens biography to "jumpstart" their creative thinking. They focused on the need to develop learning tools which would appeal to all ages in the school system. They began by producing a comprehensive, 65 page, Charles Dickens Curriculum Guide, comprising a series of lesson modules on various Dickens' novels. For younger Dickens fans, a Great Expectations pop-up book was produced. A third element was a video adaptation of A Christmas Carol, complete with a screenplay, fully costumed actors and decorative sets. Finally, the students created an elaborate and finely drawn board game (the "Charles Dickens Game") to test knowledge of Dickens while encouraging a sense of fun for the players, young and old alike.

Ms. Paul's and Ms. Deslippe's students designed their project to popularize Charles Dickens - in this regard they were very successful. They may end up "selling the rights" to the highest bidder!