Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (May 24/99) - At long last, after nearly 12 years of hard work, Iqaluit resident Nick Newbery and his brainchild, the Terry Fox Program, have been recognized for the valuable service they provide to youth and to the community.

As a way to commemorate his efforts, Newbery was presented recently with the Roy C. Hill Award for his work in developing the innovative education program. While he has accepted the award and the $2,500 cheque most humbly, Newbery said the honour actually belongs in the hands of the community members and the many students who have passed through the program since 1986.

"You don't run a program like this without an awful lot of teachers helping you, people giving you money to go and do things and community people giving you their time and knowledge. That's why it works," said Newbery.

Originally started in 1984 as an alternative to the mainstream type of education that missed the needs of many students at Inuksuk High School, Newbery came to the program in 1986 and devised a full-time curriculum that was both relevant and fun. Dubbed the Terry Fox Program for the Canadian hero who never really gave up, the new approach was offered only to Grade 7 students at first, but has since grown to include Grade 8, Grade 9 and some of Grade 10.

"You've actually got four years of alternate programming in that high school, which means that kids, who for social or personal or academic reasons, find school a difficult place, but would still like to attend in some format, we can offer something to them," said Newbery.

He explained that the students -- about 15 each year --- are versed in four different areas including remedial academics, land skills and survival, life skills, and community work and service. Newbery said he knows the program works because the students keep coming to it, their parents are happy that they come to it and, at the end of the year, their progress is visible when they choose to go on to do something else. If, however, their decision is to drop out of school, Newbery said he knew that his program has still made a difference in their lives.

"It puts them on a pedestal for a few seconds and it makes them feel they can achieve something. Somewhere in their life, they were told they could do well and they did do well and they knew they were capable. That's the bottom line."

As for why Terry Fox was chosen to represent the educational program, Newbery said Fox just never gave up -- a message he very much wanted his students to grasp.

"Fox was crippled and could have sat at home and said poor me. But he didn't. He got off his ass, dropped his self-pity act and said he wanted to go out to help people."