Yellowknife (Apr 07/06) - Parents have asked Yk District No. 1 for more programs for gifted students.

"Yk 1 has enough students for an enhanced program," said parent Tanya Krueger.

Katie Glowach, 12, works on a documentary about animal testing at Mildred Hall school. It's part of the programming available for gifted students there. - Jessica Gray/NNSL photo

"The needs of students with disabilities has overpowered the needs of enhanced students."

Krueger has two children, aged six and eight, at Range Lake North school.

There is currently no funding expressly allocated for enhanced programming within schools, whereas six new classroom assistants will be hired to help children with special needs.

Yk 1 superintendent Metro Huculak said the board will be sending out a survey to parents, teachers, and students in May to see what kinds of school programs they are looking for.

A question about enhanced programs will be included. Huculak said the surveys will be used to determine what the needs for this type of program are.

Parents weren't pleased with that response.

"My son, who is in Grade 11 now, suffered from kindergarten to Grade 8," said parent Susan Craig.

Her son Michael didn't have the opportunity to be challenged, she said.

"There's an assumption that smart kids manage just fine, but gifted children can sometimes be a problem in the classroom."

She explained they can often act out and get frustrated in class as a result of not being challenged.

Yk 1 did have a program for gifted children, in which students could work on independent programs outside the classroom at Ecole J.H. Sissons and Mildred Hall schools.

The program is no longer being offered at Sissons this year due to a lack of funding, said Anita Griffore, student services co-ordinator for Yk 1.

All schools with students in kindergarten to Grade 8 have enhanced programming within the classroom, said Griffore.

These programs are not usually extended to materials outside the student's grade.

"It's not ideal to let students push ahead through curriculum without guidance," she said.

Trustee Dale Thomson said most of the enhanced programming in the past was driven by parent groups.

"As children pass through the schools, the parents moved on to other things."

Krueger doesn't think the programming already available is enough, nor should the onus for better programming land on the shoulders of parents. "I've talked to the parents advisory committee many times and all levels of administration. I'm trying to get this issue on the table."