On March 22 I was also able to recognize the Grade 5s and their teachers at John MacNeil Elementary School in Dartmouth North who felted and sewed a beautiful quilt for the Delmore "Buddy" Daye Learning Institute's African Nova Scotian History Challenge in February. Here is what I said:
Mr. Speaker, this past February the Grade 5s at John MacNeil Elementary School in Dartmouth found a truly special way to mark this year’s African Heritage Month. Throughout February, the students - taught by Matt Montgomery and Colleen Clarke - learned about the history of quilt-making in African Canadian culture. Quilters, they learned, used quilts to tell stories, but also to send messages through the Underground Railroad. Inspired by David Woods and Shauntay Grant, the students created a stunning needle felt quilt which they then submitted to the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute’s African Heritage Month Challenge. The quilt consists of squares, each crafted by individual students, and the border represents the secret codes used for the Underground Railroad.
I ask that the House join me in congratulating the over 50 Grade 5 students at John MacNeil Elementary who wove and sewed this beautiful piece of art into existence.