Lo-Ellen Park student captures first place in Braille Creative Writing Contest

Chris Barclay, a Grade 10 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, won a first place prize in the Braille Creative Writing Contest sponsored by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. He read his winning poem at the CNIB Braille Conference in Toronto on Friday, October 26th, 2012.	Chris Barclay, left, a Grade 10 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, won a first place prize in the Braille Creative Writing Contest sponsored by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. He receives his certificate and prize from Terry Kelly, Chair of the Canadian Braille Literacy Foundation.

A Grade 10 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School has won a first place prize in the Braille Creative Writing Contest sponsored by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.

Chris Barclay captured top honours in the Grade 7, 8, 9 Poem category.  He received his award at the CNIB Braille Conference in Toronto on Friday, October 26th, 2012, where he had an opportunity to read his winning entry.

“We are proud of Chris Barclay for his outstanding achievement,” said Rainbow District School Board Chair Doreen Dewar. “We are delighted that one of our students has been recognized on the national level. We commend the CNIB for promoting literacy in a creative way.”

For the competition, Chris Barclay submitted a poem that he wrote for his Grade 9 English class.  Entitled "The Sailboat", the poem was in the shape of a sailboat. The poem was quite difficult to line-up and center using a Perkins manual brailler and two sheets of braille paper. 

In this annual contest, the CNIB invites students across Canada to let their fingers tell the story. The competition is open to primary and secondary students who are blind or partially sighted. Students can submit short stories or poems. Entries must be in braille.

Prizes are awarded in each category at four grade levels: Grades 1 to 3, Grades 4 to 6, Grades 7 to 9 and Grades 10 to 12. Braille accuracy and creativity are given equal weighting.

For children with vision loss, being able to read and write braille is the key to literacy, successful employment, and independence. The Canadian Braille Literacy Foundation provides financial assistance for the contest.

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705.674.3171. ext. 7217.