FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Halifax, Nova Scotia - November 19, 2002. Elementary schools throughout Nova Scotia will have an opportunity to learn more about our nations pastime - hockey - through the Shooting for Gold Program sponsored by ESSO. The web-based program is being promoted as part one of several activities that will compliment the 2003 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.

"It [the program] will further enhance our efforts to bring the championship to communities throughout the Province," said Chris Larsen, Event Manager for the 2003 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.

The Championship is being held in Halifax and Sydney to and will feature teams from Russia, Finland, Switzerland, the United States, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia, Belarus, Germany and the host Canada.

The School Program includes a poster contest that will present six schools - three from mainland Nova Scotia and three from Cape Breton - with an opportunity to win tickets to see a Team Canada pre-tournament game. Students from the winning school will also receive a World Junior Hockey T-shirt.

Students in grades four, five and six will be eligible to participate in the contest. Contest rules will be included in packages being distributed to schools throughout Nova Scotia. The deadline for entries is December 6, 2002. Judging will take place at Brookhouse School in Dartmouth and at Centre 200 in Sydney. The winners will be announced on December 9, 2002.

In addition 10 participating classes from the poster contest will be randomly drawn to write welcome letters to each of the 10 teams taking part in the World Juniors.
The curriculum portion of the Shooting for Gold program deals with reading comprehension, visual arts, Canada and world connections, data management and probability, and language arts. Various tools and ideas are provided in the package to make the curriculum user friendly for teachers and interesting for the students. Among the teaching approaches suggested is a scavenger hunt.