Page 5 - Sooke Elementary School - Division 2

Exploring the Lighthouse

Sooke Elementary School

Division 2

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
~ Albert Einstein

hildren today have a greater range of opportunities open to them than historians. It’s not just about dates and obscure locations, not just about
Cat any time in recent history, and greater freedoms than ever before. great battles, world-shaking events, the comings and goings of kings and
Thriving in this chaotic environment requires an ability for all children to queens and presidents. It’s also about the lives of the people who lived
be able to find a strong foundation from which they can build their lives, here before, their struggles and triumphs, their thoughts and ideas that
achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. nurtured their families, built their communities and shaped their world.
It’s about the stories our grandfathers told us, and those from our neigh-
For most of us, that foundation starts with the family, and extends out- bours. We all have stories in our lives and they are, in their way, as full of
ward into the community. Just as a tree needs deep roots to grow tall and drama and intrigue as any of the great sagas of our history classes. It is
strong, so does a child draw nourishment and vitality from his or her own our stories that shape us, that make us who we are.
roots, from the comfort of belonging, from having a place to call home.
Our history – our heritage – is best lived and experienced, understood
Understanding and, in particular, experiencing their own connections to through the things we can touch and feel, and passed on in a way that
the people and places around them is invaluable for children in so many touches our hearts and our imaginations. It’s why we need to work hard to
ways. Learning about their own and their community’s history provides a conserve and appreciate our heritage, not just the castles and stately man-
base from which they can explore their world and help them answer that sions, but the cottages and the old lighthouses as well. Those remnants of
most fundamental of questions: “how did this come to be?” our past have stories to tell.

Our history – our heritage – is not just an academic pursuit to be left to To help children in the local area strengthen their connections to their

Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society Page 5