Cape Dorset (June 09/03) - Two years ago, Keith Wilson retired from a 30-year teaching career in Newfoundland. He felt he still had something to offer, so a year after retiring Wilson started looking for a new job.

Keith Wilson retired from teaching in Newfoundland two years ago. He realized he still had something to offer and took a job as principal of Peter Pitseolak school in Cape Dorset. - Chris Puglia/NNSL photo

"I was still young enough that I felt I could work for a few more years," he said.

Wilson came to the North with his wife last August to work as the principal for the Peter Pitseolak school in Cape Dorset. He said he's learned something new every day since.

He said he knew a little bit about the community, that Cape Dorset was known as the art capital of the North and that it was in the south part of Baffin Island.

"I was very impressed when I arrived. The community was more spread out than I thought it would be and there were a lot more vehicles than I thought," said Wilson.

He also said Cape Dorset, and the North in general, reminded him a lot of home.

"There are a lot of similarities. Here, they go hunting for caribou, we go hunting for moose. Here, they go fishing for char, and at home we go fishing for salmon. Here, they go out on the land and we go out into the woods," he explained.

After getting to know most of the community, Wilson has come to the conclusion that Cape Dorset is a very generous and friendly place to live.

Wilson met a lot of people through working at the school. Peter Pitseolak school has 150 students, in Grades 8 through 12, and 17 staff. He said the biggest challenges educators in Cape Dorset face are keeping students in school and the continuous search for better teaching materials.

"I keep encouraging students to be in regular attendance. I really hope to see more graduates. That's the real challenge, it's keeping the students in school," he said.

This year, 10 students will graduate in Cape Dorset. Wilson said the enthusiasm in the community about the graduates is phenomenal.

Wilson has a two-year contract with the school. He said if things continue to go as well as they have, he'll consider extending his contract.