Mark Perry

Hampton High School, Hampton, New Brunswick

Mark Perry’s teaching philosophy is to develop inclusive and engaging environments in which students can learn through real-world authentic experiences. For more than a decade, Perry has guided his students in commemorative research projects that engage learners from grades one to twelve across the Anglophone South School District. These projects have students research key moments in the first and second world wars and share the stories of soldiers and veterans from their community. To develop these narratives and biographies, students analyzed and interpreted hundreds of primary source documents and interviewed more than sixty veterans from their region. The accounts are shared in several published books and documentary films, with the volumes featuring the biographies of more than 180 people from New Brunswick and Wabanaki territory. 

Through this authentic investigation of history, Perry’s students enhanced their historical thinking skills and overall understanding of the participation of New Brunswickers in the two world wars. In the end, the project is also a substantial contribution to the overall understanding of the history of New Brunswick.