April 19, 2012 

Eden Student Earns Vimy Scholarship                                                                                     

Eden High School student Kyra Simone is going to have a summer to remember. The Grade 11 student was recently announced as one of the winners of the 2012 Beaverbrook Vimy Prize. The prize rewards students with an intensive two week scholarship program in Europe where they will visit museums, battlefields, gravesites and monuments such as the Vimy War Memorial. The trip is scheduled to take place from August 7 – 21.  

“This is a prestigious honour, as the prize was awarded to just 11 students across Canada,” says Ruth Hernder, Eden Principal. “Kyra is an excellent student and very deserving of this exciting opportunity.” 

Award winners help to preserve and promote Canada’s proud military history, symbolized by the victory at Vimy Ridge. In her award application, Kyra wrote that she is certainly interested in helping to share Canada’s story with other young Canadians.  

“Through my research and writing for this contest, I have really come to see Vimy as a compilation of stories – each one involving real people with real emotions. These stories work their way into our minds and our hearts, where they belong,” explained Kyra.   

“By passing down their stories, we can keep their memory, and Canadian history, alive.” 

History Teacher Jonathan Thorpe feels Kyra truly understands the significance of Canada’s military contributions and will do an exemplary job in raising awareness of the country’s participation in the Great War.  

“As part of an assignment, Kyra was responsible for writing a journal as if she was a soldier in the trenches of World War One. This journal truly captured the emotions, trials and responsibilities that a soldier must have felt during the Great War. I have kept this assignment as an example for future students to read and gain a better appreciation for what life must have been like for those fighting for Canada.” 

The Beaverbrook Vimy Prize is awarded on the basis of essay submissions and interviews. Participants must be 15-17 years old with a 70% grade average at school and proven leadership skills. To learn more, visit www.vimyfoundation.ca.