Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Apr 05/99) - As contractors in Iqaluit move on to the next stage of construction and prepare to close in the walls of the new middle school, education officials say they're several months ahead of schedule on the new $6.5-million facility.

Lorne Levy, the assistant director of the Baffin Divisional Education Council (BDEC), said that despite the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs' late announcement last August -- which added roughly $1 million and four additional classrooms to the project -- the school was still about three months ahead of schedule.

"When we added the four classrooms, it was delayed and pushed to late October. We're quite optimistic that the school will now open the same as all the other schools," said Levy.

When its doors finally do swing open towards the end of August, it is expected that the 175-200 pupils who enrol will take a great deal of stress off the other schools in terms of overcrowding.

"It will certainly relieve some of the pressure. What we're looking at is that Joamie and Nakasuk will not have Grade 6's and the high school won't have the Grade 7's," said Levy.

But because the influx of new students is greater than was expected when the original funding was made available, the middle school won't be able to accommodate as many grades as was hoped.

As Greg Healey, the BDEC's supervisor of schools explained, Grade 8 students won't have the opportunity to attend the new facility at first.

"It's really just a judgment call. If we put only 6's and 7's in there next year, we'll have a little extra classroom space and we can then offer some extra options," said Healey.

Peter Geikie, the teacher-turned-principal who will head up the institution next year, said the extra options would go far beyond the regular choices children in that age group currently have in Iqaluit.

"We're looking at running an industrial technology program, family science, which will incorporate health and home economics and other subjects, a fine arts program and computer technology," said Geikie.

He added that he was also in the process of negotiating with the government of Nunavut for the funds that would allow him to hire the necessary nine-person staff over the next few months and that he was busy ordering the supplies for the school.

As for the name of the new facility, Geikie said it's completely up to the first group of students set to grace its hallways.

"A committee sat down and looked at a select number of names that came from the schools and the community. It was narrowed down to four (from 100) and we'll go back to the schools for the final selection of the name."