Six Fort High students learned a lot while attending sessions from law to science and technology at the recent “Encounters with Canada” conference in Ottawa.
“I went to a sports and fitness one,” noted Nicole Rogozinski, a grade 10 student who attended the Jan. 31-Feb. 6 conference with Erin Anderson, Heather Ogilvie, Emily Gibb, Melissa Kinnear, and Krista Vos.
“There were a lot of French-speaking people there, and they wanted you to interact with them and learn about sports you might not have played before,” Rogozinski added.
While she got to learn about curling and skiing, neither of which the Muskie soccer player had done much before, there also were a few more unusual games.
“One was ‘crab soccer’ and it was really weird,” she remarked.
Rogozinski noted while her French wasn’t all that good, communicating with others wasn’t too much of a problem. “I struggled a bit but by the end of the week, I was doing all right,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ogilvie attended a journalism session, a subject she has some interest in.
“We had lots of guest speakers, and I actually knew a lot of the stuff already, just finishing my co-op [at the Times],” the grade 12 student remarked.
“But it was a lot of fun meeting people who were interested in the same area,” she added.
Not only did the visitors get to learn something at the annual conference, they also got a chance to check out the nation’s capital.
“We had a tour, and it looked like a beautiful city to me,” said Rogozinski. “I also went to the Parliament buildings. It was really nice there but a bit boring.
“But it was neat to see how things worked there,” she added.
“It was fun,” echoed Ogilvie, who had been to Ottawa before on the senior band trip to the Maritimes last spring.
But best of all was meeting teens from across Canada, both said.
“It was interesting to learn about the communities they were from,” said Ogilvie, citing a particular new friend from the Northwest Territories.
“I still keep in touch with a couple people,” she added.
“I’ve written to about 10 of them,” echoed Rogozinski.
The trip to the conference was funded partially by the Legion, the federal government, and the students themselves. The Fort High SEC provided the applications, which the students filled out and sent away late last year.
Both Ogilvie and Rogozinski said they definitely would recommend it to others.
“I told my friends all about it, and said they really should go themselves,” enthused Rogozinski.
“Encounters with Canada” is an annual conference that offers various sessions over the course of a year aimed at giving youths a chance to explore career fields and meet others from across the country.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
