Olds resident Noah Korver is one of only 14 Canadian youth chosen to participate in this year’s Beaverbrook Vimy Prize — and one of only two chosen from Alberta.
The premiere educational program takes a select handful of Canadian youth to Europe for a two-week study of "the interwoven First and Second World War history of Canada, Great Britain and France," according to the Vimy Foundation website.
They will attend lectures, visit former battlefields, trenches, underground tunnels, monuments and museums – and even meet a few of the remaining veterans during their stay in Belgium and France.
For Korver, the trip’s immersion into history is a continuation of his life-long interest in the two World Wars.
“I’ve always been interested in my uncle’s stories from the Second World War, when he was a little kid in Holland,” said Korver, whose mom Darla is a Family School Wellness Worker at Ross Ford Elementary School in Didsbury.
“I also remember my neighbour having a book about the war that I used to look at when I was a little kid myself, and I just wanted to know more and more about it.
"There are amazing stories of kindness and humanity, along with all the shocking elements of war. And so many of the soldiers were just a few years older than I am now. They were kids.”
The unassuming 16 year-old has devoured everything he could study about this time in history, and he casually shares wartime anecdotes and dates, facts and analysis that make him sound more like a university scholar.
It all lent itself well for his multi-step application to the Vimy Foundation, which included an essay, a video-taped personal statement, an online interview and a commitment to several obligations the study trip will entail.
“I’ve been partnered with a student from Manitoba and we’ve been assigned a project on racism during the conflicts. I won’t meet her in person until the trip but we are all getting to know each other on the Facebook group," he said.
"There’s a few other study projects beforehand, including research on a soldier from the First World War who is buried in France. We are all to present about a particular soldier right at their gravesite and I’m working with the Olds Legion to determine if there are any local connections. They’ve been really helpful,” he added.
“I find our country’s combat history so fascinating, especially when you look at the First World War. Our Canadian troops performed amazingly and they still have a reputation of excellence. I’m so excited to be part of the study program and all of it makes me appreciate being Canadian that much more.”
The trip takes place the last two weeks of August, so Noah will return just in time to dig into Grade 11.
What comes after high school? Maybe a travelling journalist, because he loves researching facts. Maybe a mountain rescue medic, because he loves the outdoors. But maybe climate studies. Not much time to think about it right now, though — his cellphone keeps buzzing with friends waiting for him at the coffee shop.
Sandy Bexon is an information officer with the Chinook's Edge School Division.
