Young people are learning more about history, thanks to a new club that has been formed at the Souris Valley Museum.
The Young Historical Society has been meeting at the museum since the start of the school year. Meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays of the month during the school year, from 4-5 p.m.
“We decided that this year we wanted to expand our programs that are offered to the community during the fall and winter, considering that now we are open year-round,” said Mark Veneziano, the director-curator of the museum, who also serves as the instructor of the Young Historical Society.
Students come to the museum once school is finished for the day to learn about local history and some general Canadian and Saskatchewan history as well.
“During the hour, we play games, we participate in crafts and we have a history lesson,” said Veneziano. “Today’s session (Nov. 6) is on heroes and heroines, so we’re going to be learning about Remembrance Day that is coming up this weekend, as well as … with our hat display, we’re going to be featuring Donald Sillers hat, so that kids can actually really see the impact of the war, especially in this area.”
Sillers was a pilot from Estevan who served during the Second World War, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
(For more on Sillers and the museum’s hat display, see Page A5).
Other potential topics during the meetings include historical games and toys, as well as changes in technology.
Now that the program is into its third month, more young people know about it and the museum has had more registrations. The largest class thus far is four people. They can accommodate up to 13 people.
“They’re having fun,” said Veneziano. “The last session was all about the history of Halloween, so we learned all about monsters, ghosts and vampires … and the history of the area. With that one, we learned about the Métis legend of the Rougarou, which was a werewolf, so a lot of kids did not know about that, and they actually enjoyed learning about that story.”
There is a $5 fee to attend the program each week. Young people can join the society at any time, but the museum asks that young people register in advance, so that they know how many will be present for the session.
