I arrived at the parking lot of the John Diefenbaker School a few minutes after 11:00 a.m on April12th.  I was greeted by a committee of parking lot attendants who checked me against their clipboard; fortunately I was on the list.  I was shown where to park and then handed off to another student who escorted me inside to collect my name tag.  I was then handed off again to yet another student who showed me the coat room and then took me on a tour of the school.  And what a tour it was.  This school certainly went all out for the Willow Awards Gala. 

In the hallway leading to the younger grades, there was a large bulletin board with a display titled The Best Book in the World.  The teacher and students of one class had combined parts of each of the Shining Willow Award Nominees to create one story, illustrated by the students.  Each of the classroom doors were decorated to look like the cover of one of the nominated books.  The Diamond Willow Nominees were presented on another bulletin board with postcards to the author.  The older grades had done up a bulletin board about the Snow Willow Award Nominee authors in the style of old west wanted posters.   There was willow artwork and arrangements all over the place.

After my tour I was dropped off at the library which had been turned into a lovely little dining room.  All the teachers blessed enough not to be on lunch supervision, the Willow Board, the Mayor of Prince Albert, other dignitaries and the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, Dr. Gordon Barnhart, sat down to a very lovely lunch provided by a local caterer.

Then it was time to start the Gala.  After being lined up according to the seating chart, we followed a bag piper up a red carpet.  Probably the only time in my life I will get to walk up a red carpet like a celebrity.  The speeches were given by the dignitaries, and since the intended audience was children, not a single speech was boring. 

Triumphant music started, the lights dimmed and then the real celebrities were escorted down the aisle through the spotlight: the nominated books.  The music teacher wrote a song about the Willow Awards that the Grade Five students preformed.  Short videos, skits or reviews were done for each of the books before the master of ceremonies said “May I have the envelope, please?”

And the winners are:

Shining Willow – Scaredy Squirrel at Night by Mélanie Watt

Shining Willow winner

Diamond Willow – Jolted: Newton Starker’s rules for survival by Arthur Slade

Diamond Willow winner

Snow Willow – Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen

Snow Willow winner

Mélanie Watt was unable to attend, though she did make a video that was played for the audience as her acceptance speech.  Arthur Slade and Susin Nielsen were able to attend and gave book talks in the morning.  I hope I get to go again next year.

Susin Nielsen, Florence Barton - Willow Board President, Arthur Slade

 www.willowawards.ca