Quebec students unearthing the past for Blue Metropolis literary project
5 high schools participating in cemetery research project
Students at five high schools across Quebec are "unearthing their past,” to bring the stories of some of the province’s most famous and infamous citizens into the present.
It’s all part of a multidisciplinary initiative fostered by Montreal’s Blue Metropolis Literary Festival with funding from Canadian Heritage, called Unearth Our Past.
The five participating high schools are:
- Quebec High School (Quebec City)
- New Carlisle High (New Carlisle)
- Laurentian Regional High School (Lachute)
- Beaconsfield High School (Beaconsfield)
- Heritage Regional High School (St. Hubert)
A class of students from each school will write a play as part of their regular winter curriculum. The play's characters will be inspired by the real stories of the people buried in cemeteries in their own towns and cities.
In early spring, they'll present the end result: a performance of the play they will write and a book featuring a selection of their photographs.
Quebec City-based journalists Julia Caron and Marika Wheeler will be following two of those classes: Julia will follow the students from Quebec High School, while Marika visited with students at New Carlisle High School in the Baie des Chaleurs region.
The 17th edition of Blue Met takes place in Montreal from April 20 to 26.