Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 28/00) - Students are heading back to class and educators hope some new strategies will keep them there.

Last spring, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) introduced access to distance and online learning programs which allow high school age children to study in their home community rather than make the often long and lonely journey to a larger centres.

According to principal Ellie Baxter at the Louie Norwegian school in Jean Marie River, keeping teenagers at home is not without some challenges.

"Often times, it's difficult to give high school kids a broad area of choices in smaller schools," Baxter said.

A small school can also mean plenty of distractions for older students. With grades kindergarten through 12 being taught all in one room, the noise level can make learning a trying experience.

High school age children in Jean Marie River where the school offers classes only up to grade nine must still make the trek to Fort Simpson.

Baxter hopes that the territorial government's drive to provide grade extensions in small communities, like those available at Kakisa Lake school and where she taught last year, will soon reach Jean Marie River.

This year, 30 online courses will be available to 30 schools throughout the NWT. By next year, ECE expects to have 300 courses ready to offer through the Internet.

"It makes high school much more accessible to students, and with greater choices," said Donna Dahm, the new principal in Kakisa Lake.

And even if small children can often be a little noisier than the older ones in the classroom, the closeness of a small community can outweigh the problems associated with an integrated classroom.

"It's almost like a little family there, so you work around those things," said Nolan Swartzentruber, superintendent of Education for the Deh Cho region.

"With the distance learning types of opportunities they have more of a focus on what they're doing, rather than expect the teacher to be preparing lessons for individual students. Everything is right there for you."