This interview is part of a special series of the Teaching Canada's History podcast where we spoke with the finalists for the 2021 Governor General's History Award for Excellence in Teaching.

For over ten years, teacher Mark Perry has led students of various grades (1, 5, 11, and 12) in four different schools in the Kennebecasis Valley, New Brunswick, in a commemorative project called "The Kennebecasis Valley Remembers." The students have uncovered thousands of primary documents and have video-interviewed over sixty Second World War veterans to write five books, of which three have been published, and to produce several documentary films. These products detail historical accounts and the biographies of over 180 people from New Brunswick and the greater Wabanaki Territory. This work has been used by university students and University of New Brunswick historians as they have conducted their own research on the stories of New Brunswick. The present focus is on the development of biographies of veterans of the Wabanaki Nations: the Mi'kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, and Peskotomuhkatiyik.

To learn more about the Governor General's History Awards or to nominate a teacher in your community, visit CanadasHistory.ca/Awards.