A teacher at Coquitlam's former Millside elementary school is up for a Governor General's Award for her book about Maillardville.
Marie-Laure Chevrier, who now instructs at École Anne-Hébert in Vancouver, was named last week as a finalist for her work titled Le rêve de Monsieur Maillardville.
The award recognizes excellence in teaching Canadian history.
The book project was backed by the Société francophone de Maillardville to mark the French-Canadian enclave's 100th anniversary in 2009.
It describes the arrival of the pioneers to Maillardville in the early 1900s from Quebec, many of whom worked at Fraser Mills - once the largest sawmill in the Commonwealth.
After the book was published, B.C.'s ministry of education recognized it as an educational resource for middle and secondary students.
The winner of the 16th annual Governor General's Award for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History will be announced in November by Canada's History Society.
According to its website, a judging panel will now meet to shortlist the nominees, and six recipients will receive $2,500, a gold medal and a trip to Ottawa this fall to the awards ceremony at Rideau Hall.
Their schools will also get $1,000.
Other western finalists include Lindsay Anderson, Niv Stilman and Yossi Suissa (Calgary Jewish Academy, Calgary); Sarah Beech and Chad Howie (Valley Creek middle school, Calgary); Cynthia Mundell Hahn (Wes Hosford elementary school, Sherwood Park); and Elizabeth Phipps (Mayfair community school, Saskatoon).
jwarren@tricitynews.com
