Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 12/98) - It's summertime and the living is easy.

At least that is the way it is supposed to work. But for 22 students taking part in the first-ever summer school in Yellowknife at Sir John Franklin high school, the past three weeks have been anything but easy.

Since July 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 a.m., Monday to Friday, students here immerse themselves in Grade 8, 9, 10, and 12 math classes. On top of that they can expect three to four hours of homework daily.

Meike Cameron, principal of Sir John says all of the students did poorly in math during the school year. Their marks ranged from 35 to 55 per cent. But now she expects almost all of the students to pass their courses.

While the students probably can think of better ways to spend their short Northern summer, none of them were forced to go to summer school. Cameron says she has noticed the difference it has made in their math skills.

"I could have used the three weeks vacation," says Cameron. "But it's exciting to see the school come to fruition and to see the students coming regularly and it making a difference."

Amanda Epp, an 18-year-old Grade 12 graduate of Sir John Franklin high school, is taking the Math 30 course to try and get a better mark for her math diploma exam. She feels the summer school is worthwhile and gives students a second chance to pass a course and not have to take it over again.

"It's a really smart idea," says Epp.

Still, students are students and some of them would not mind having other things to do in the mornings.

B.J. Sikma, a 14-year-old going into Grade 9 at Sir John Franklin this year knows what he would rather be doing with his mornings -- even though he is averaging 72 per cent in his course.

"One of the things I don't like the most about this is it is making me get up at 7 a.m. in July," says Sikma. "I'd rather be sleeping in."

The summer school wraps up on Wednesday with the report cards being handed out. However, the course has clearly made a difference for many of the students here who struggled with math last year.

Dustin Slade, a 16-year-old Sir John Franklin student going into Grade 10, is one of them. Slade is averaging 86 per cent in his math course after having a tough time with it last year.

"I never really paid attention to it," said Slade.

"I mostly goofed off and fooled around in class."