Elphinstone Secondary School student Caitlin Jarvis has been named a 2015 Beaverbrook Vimy prize winner, allowing her to travel to Britain, Belgium and France this August to view historic sites related to the First and Second World wars.
“I’m most looking forward to seeing the Vimy trenches and where they were actually standing,” Jarvis said, adding she was also looking forward to visiting Juno beach.
The 16-year-old Grade 11 student has a family history tied to the military, which influenced her applying for the Vimy award.
“My brother’s in the military, my grandfather’s in the military and my grandmother was in the military, so I really like learning about Canada’s past conflicts,” Caitlin said.
“It just gives me a sense of patriotism for my country and how Canada contributed and how we became our own country because [the First World War] is so uniquely tied to how we became our own country that it really piqued my interest.”
In order to be chosen for the prestigious award, Caitlin had to win over the judges with a resume, a motivational letter about why she wanted to be chosen, an essay and a poem about the First World War. Caitlin focused her writing on the responsibility younger generations have to learn about Canada’s past conflicts and share that knowledge with future generations.
Her writing and her resume, which listed accomplishments such as her many Sea Cadet and figure skating awards, pushed her to the top of the list. She was told of her win at the beginning of April, while she was in Ontario enjoying another trip she won through Encounters with Canada.
The Rotary Club of Gibsons sponsored Caitlin for the week-long Encounters with Canada trip, which also focused on the battle of Vimy Ridge and its significance.
“I got told that I won while I was there from the person who picked me,” Caitlin said.
She’s thankful for the chance to visit the battlefields she has read so much about, and she’ll be sure to share that knowledge with other students when she returns.
