Aklavik (Feb 06/06) - Six years ago when Velma Illasiak took the reins as principal of Aklavik's only school, she had a vision.

That vision was to see more kids graduating.

Eight students graduated from Moose Kerr school last spring and the current graduation class looks strong and promising as well.

"When I first started and I saw there were no real grads, there were lots of challenges in terms of attendance and achievement," said Illasiak.

"A lot of the school's current success has to do with the ground work we made six years ago."

Illasiak was recently awarded the recognition as one of Canada's outstanding principals for 2006 by the non-profit organization, The Learning Partnership.

"This demonstrates that educators across Canada recognize the talent and dedication of our Northern educational leaders," said Charles Dent, NWT education minister.

Illasiak will be inducted into the National Academy of Principals later this month in Toronto.

A group of distinguished Canadian education, industry, and private sector leaders selected Illasiak from a group of nominees working throughout Canada.

Illasiak's unique vision to include parents and students in the educational process has earned her the respect of students and parents alike in Aklavik - not to mention the entire community.

"Teachers are just one part of the puzzle," Illasiak said.

"If the kids are not part of the vision, then how can that vision be achieved?"

She feels the role of an educator is to coax out a student's talent first before building their confidence.

"You must be compassionate when trying to empower students to help them realize they have the ability to succeed," Illasiak said.

Seeing a child overcome their fears and succeed in whatever task they undertake is what Illasiak strives to do every day. She said she will remain principal of the small school, trying to make one life happier at a time.