Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Baker Lake (Sep 25/02) - Three students were awarded their high school diplomas at Jonah Amitnaaq secondary school in Baker Lake this past month.

Graduates from the Baker Lake Class of 2002 are Russell Toolooktook and Ursula Utat'naaq. Missing from photo is Peter Webster. - photo courtesy of Susan MacIsaac

Graduates Russell Toolooktook and Ursula Utat'naaq were on hand for the ceremony, while the third member of the class of 2002, Peter Webster, had already moved to Ottawa with his family.

The theme of Baker's 2002 graduation was the road less travelled by and that has made all the difference.

Jonah Amitnaaq teacher Susan MacIsaac says during his valedictory address, Toolooktook described his journey to graduation as "a path not many people in Nunavut have taken."

She says the graduate expressed hope that more people would take this road, "and this less-travelled road will become a highway."

"Like many Nunavut youth, Toolooktook, Utat'naaq and Webster know it can be lonely at the top in the high school senior years," says MacIsaac.

"In their class, only three out of seven potential graduates were able to stand on the podium this year and accept their diplomas."

Among the dignitaries to attend the graduation were Baker MLA Glenn McLean and Minister of Education Peter Kilabuk. Grade 12 homeroom teacher Rebecca Walker says there was a tea held for the families after the ceremony, which gave the graduation more of a community feel than in years past.

She says although admirable, the turnout wasn't as high as the school had hoped due to the sudden death of a Grade 12 student in the community that week.

"We held off notifying the community until just a few days before the graduation out of respect for the family," says Walker.

"I liked the idea of the tea after the grad. It was nice for all the high school students to attend a special time with the graduates after the ceremony."

Both Toolooktook, 23, and Utat'naaq, 21, are continuing with post-secondary education.

Toolooktook has enrolled in the environmental technician program at Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit.

Utat'naaq is working at the Baker Lake Day-Care Centre and plans to attend the Nunavut Sivuniksavut program in Ottawa next year.