Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Baker Lake (Feb 27/02) - An ancient hero has come to the rescue of the breakfast program at Rachel Arngnammaktiq elementary school in Baker Lake.

The school started its breakfast program during August 2001, but it soon started to taper off as funding diminished.

Principal Becky Iyago says staff started looking for ways to run the program.

School gym teacher Aaron Coutts told Iyago he had an uncle working with the Robin Hood Flour Co. in the Toronto area.

"He (Coutts) saw the need for the breakfast program when discipline problems started to crop up after our funding died," says Iyago.

"He called his uncle and the factory donated 50 bags of muffin mix. Enough to make about 18,000 muffins."

The program runs from 8:55 a.m. until 9:20 a.m. during school days. The menu includes fruit, juice packs, muffins, jam, cereal and milk.

Rachel Arngnammaktiq has 316 students and they all take advantage of the program. School staff formed a committee after getting a hold of funding from the Breakfast for Learning program.

The committee decided to use some of the money to pay the Anglican Church Women's Auxiliary Group to prepare and serve the meals and clean up afterwards.

Iyago says teachers notice a big difference in the students when they start their day off with a proper meal.

"After being properly fed, they're ready to take on the challenges of the day and a full tummy really helps with their learning abilities. We see less discipline problems when they're content."

Grade 3 teacher Emily Tutanuak says kids are more energetic after taking part in the breakfast program.

She says the students are able to take in more information because they're not worried about being hungry.

"They become easier to teach because they're more attentive," says Tutanuak.

"They're in a more positive mood and I can see a definite change in them from when we didn't have the breakfast program. It's hard to get a child to learn or get your point across when they're hungry."