I had a chance to attend the school district's annual WORDS ceremony on May 17, a celebration of Burnaby's best student scribes. Since the Burnaby NOW is one of the sponsors, I - along with other sponsors, school trustees and district staff - had the honour of passing out awards to the next generation of writers on stage at the Michael J. Fox Theatre. As part of the yearly tradition, the district publishes selected samples of student writing in an anthology.
Published author David Mushens, vice-principal at Burnaby North, co-hosted the event. Edmonds principal David Starr, also a published author, read from his book From Bombs to Books, which chronicles the incredible tales of refugee families he's come to know while working in Burnaby schools. Eleanor Hoskins, a Grade 12 Burnaby North student, gave a very impressive speech. Hoskins has been published in the anthology since she submitted her first poem in Grade 3.
"Being a good writer, like being good at anything else, takes a lot of practice," Hoskins said. "And to be perfectly honest, I've struggled a lot with that. Practice involves writing whenever you can, wherever you are, about whatever you can, even when you really don't feel like it. Sometimes you have to let yourself be genuinely, horrendously bad at writing and accept it as long as it helps you figure out how to be good."
Students in the ACEIT program at Burnaby Central provided food for the reception that followed, and I bumped into another local author, Masako Fukawa, wife of Stanley Fukawa, whom we recently featured in a story on the provincial government's apology to Japanese Canadians for the internment during the Second World War. Masako has published books on the history of Japanese-Canadian fishermen in B.C.
But the best part of the evening was hearing the students read their pieces on stage, with proud parents hooting and hollering in the audience. To read the anthology, go to the district's website at www. sd41.bc.ca. There are also copies available at all local library branches.
RIVERVIEW
The Riverview Preservation Society is meeting this Sunday, May 27 at the McGill library branch from 1: 15 to 3 p.m.
The group wants to keep all of the Riverview lands in Coquitlam for people with mental illness and addictions. Everyone is welcome to attend. The library branch is at 4595 Albert St.
SFU OPEN HOUSE
If you're considering Simon Fraser University as a post-secondary option, head up the hill on Saturday, May 26 for the annual open house from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Burnaby campus will have tons of things on display, like theatre, dancing, music and improv in the atrium in Saywell Hall. SFU athletics and recreation staff and student athletes will be on the grassy area, across from Strand Hall, with visitor information and activities. B.C. Lions player Dean Valli will be there, signing autographs from noon to 1 p.m. The School of Interactive Arts and Technology is bringing high-tech exhibits and activities. For more information, go to www.sfu.ca/ openhouse/2012.html.
HATS OFF DAY
Keep Saturday, June 2 free for Hats Off Day, the annual festival in Burnaby Heights where local merchants acknowledge and appreciate their customers. The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Hastings Street, between Boundary Road and Gamma Avenue.
The street will be packed with families, music and food. The parade starts at 9 a.m. There's also a show and shine, with hot rods and muscle cars on display. For more information, go to www.burnaby heights.com/events.
CLASS OF '72
Tickets for the Burnaby North Secondary 40-year reunion go on sale June 6 and 7, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Burnaby North Secondary. Tickets are $60 per person before June 30 - after that, they go up to $70. The reunion is set for Saturday, Sept. 15, and it will be held at the Executive Plaza.
For more information, go to www. classreport.org/can/bc/ burnaby/bns/1972.
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