Education graduate student receives Canada’s top history honour
Matt Henderson, BEd program ‘08, MEd student (CTL), and teacher at St. John’s-Ravenscourt School, is one of 6 teachers in Canada to receive a 2013 Governor General’s History Award. He was selected to receive this honour by the Winnipeg-based, Canada’s National History Society for his classroom work related to Aboriginal issues in Canada.
The Governor General’s History Award honours excellence in educational and public programming about Canada’s history and heritage and celebrates the very best in Canadian achievements to ensure Canada’s national past has a vibrant presence in our society today.
In 2012, Henderson’s Grade 11 class of 20 students examined the history of the Red River between 1738 and 1869. This was a time of European invasions, the rise of the HBC and Northwest Company, the birth of the Métis Nation, and a time when the federal Dominion of Canada was formed. Under the guidance of Henderson, the students experienced this history in relation to the Idle No More movement. Their efforts and refreshed understanding of Canada’s history resulted in a published collection of short historical fiction titled Because of a Hat.
Henderson will first be recognized with an awards certificate from Canada’s History Society on Friday at Kildonan East Collegiate, followed by a formal presentation at Rideau Hall on Nov. 19.
The Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba is proud of and congratulates Matt Henderson on his success.
The Governor General of Canada Academic Medal, Awards in Sciences and Humanities information
Winnipeg Free Press Article “Awards for work on aboriginal issues”