By Lucie Roy
Morinville – Morinville Community High School (MCHS) student Colette Bachand is a great artist. Once more she has placed in the top end with submissions of her art work to various contests. Bachand placed first at the Alberta Provincial Level in the Royal Canadian Legion Senior Colour Poster Contest.
The annual Royal Canadian Legion contest challenges youth to express their feelings about Remembrance through essays, poems and posters in the Literary and Poster Competition. Bachand said she received her inspiration when the MCHS art class was tasked with creating a mural for the St. Jean Baptiste Park. Her design was not selected but with encouragement she submitted the colour poster to the Morinville Legion for their contest. On Apr. 27 at the District 8 Rally held in Edmonton at the Norwood Legion, the District 8 Commander Ted Latimer announced that Bachand’s artwork had been submitted to Dominion Command along with that of another student from Stony Plain who placed second.
Submissions are made through artwork or essays in the theme of Remembrance. The students or the school submits the entries to the local Legion branch for judging and winning entries move to the next level of competition. Once they are selected and win in the Area then District level it goes to the Provincial and then National levels.
The Literary Contest has two divisions: essays and poems. The Senior First Place entries in each division are displayed at the Canadian War Museum from June to May of the following year. The entries receiving Second Place and Honourable Mention are displayed in the foyer of the Parliament Buildings during the annual Remembrance period in November.
The Legion also sponsors a trip to Ottawa for the senior winners in all four divisions (colour poster, black and white poster, essay and poem) to attend the National Remembrance Ceremony in Ottawa where they will place a wreath on behalf of Canadian youth. It is at this ceremony that the senior literary winner reads their winning entry on national television.
The Royal Canadian Legion Remembrance Contest winners for 2011 have been made public. To view the booklet and to access the winners please go to www.legion.ca, Poppy and Remembrance, and click on student winners. The 12-page booklet highlights all 2011 winning entries from the Senior, Intermediate, Junior and Primary levels.
Bachand has won other art contests. Two years ago she entered the Canada Poster Challenge and won at provincials. Her provincial win qualified her for nationals where she placed sixth in the competition.
Way to go Colette!! we are proud of you