Strathmore High School student Florence Kalia was in for a great surprise on Tuesday morning. She had just finished up one of her last exams when she was called down to the office unexpectedly where she was greeted by Jenny Schumann and Gwendolyn Cowie from the Strathmore Royal Canadian Legion Branch #10. They proudly presented her with a certificate for placing second overall in Canada for the essay she submitted for the Legion’s Poster and Literary Contest.
Kalia was very grateful for the award and said it was a great way to end her grade 11 year.
“It feels amazing. It's a really big honour. This is the first time I've ever entered and to know that my essay was appreciated and really reflected the topic. Well, it really means a lot to me.”
She explained that she wrote about Canada’s involvement in the war, and how Canada was sometimes viewed as the underdog.
“The topic was on remembrance and I chose to talk about Canada's history with the wars, how Canada as a country sometimes got overlooked, the contributions Canada as a whole made and how that reflects upon the topic of remembrance.”
Kalia also received $500 of prize money for her essay. She explained that she will be saving it for her future education, and donating some to charity.
“Writing is definitely more than a hobby. I do love writing. I write poetry and essays, and I just really enjoy English class too,” she explained.
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