Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Friday, June 15, 2007

FORT SIMPSON - When 26 students jumped out of motorboats at Fort Simpson after a three-day trip from Fort Providence they had completed more than just a leisurely cruise.

The trip along the Mackenzie River was the sixth and last gathering of the Education through Commitment project, said Shanna Hagens, who led the project. The pilot project was designed to help Grade 6 students make the transition between elementary school and junior high.

A total of 12 students from Bompas elementary school in Fort Simpson and 14 students from Deh Gah school in Fort Providence along with three teachers and 10 adults made the trip in eight motorboats.

Set to begin on June 1 in Fort Providence, the trip almost didn't happen due to the heavy ice conditions on the river, said Hagens. The original plan called for students to travel by canoe, but plans were changed at the last minute to use motorboats.

"The ice wasn't going to stop us," said Margaret Thom, one of the adults on the trip.

The focus of the trip was to visit key historical sites.

The students' first stop was at the old military base at Axe Point. On Friday night they slept at Redknife Creek and visited the family cabins where Thom's parents lived. On Saturday the students camped at Browning Landing and stopped at Jean Marie River on Sunday where Andy Norwegian told them about the region's history.

"They did well," said Thom, referring to the students.

During the course of the program, Thom said she's seen a change in the students.

"They sure came a long way from September when we first started this program," she said.

During the trip the students practised some of the things they've been taught in the program including leadership skills and traditional values such as kindness, respect and community involvement, said Thom.

Neil Penney, the Class 7 teacher at Bompas elementary school, has also seen a change.

"I've seen these students gain a lot of confidence," said Penney.

Students who were on the trip were less concerned with what they'd learned than all the fun activities they'd done.

Roderick Lesage was eager to talk about going swimming in the river and fishing off the side of the boats.

While the trip was long, Lesage said he filled some of the time by watching scenery and drinking lots of juice boxes.

Chastity Nadli said the best parts of the trip happened on the water. She particularly liked when her boat would drive over another boat's wake making for a bumpy ride.

Fresh off the river, Shanna Elleze was ready to start over again.

The trip was lots of fun, said Elleze. While on shore, the group ate healthy foods like fish, duck soup and moose meat. The participants also slept in tents, which were cold, she said.

"I want to do something like this again," said Elleze.