Jessica Klinkenberg
Northern News Services
Published Friday, August 24, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - A Sir John Franklin high school student is off to Victoria for his final year of high school.

Caleb Harrison, 16, is going into Grade 12 at Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific near Victoria, B.C., at the end of August.

Caleb Harrison is heading out of Yellowknife at the end of August for his final year of high school at Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific near Victoria, B.C. - Jessica Klinkenberg/NNSL photo

Tuition is covered under a scholarship and the only cost to him is travelling.

"It was in the school announcements and I thought it sounded kind of cool," Harrison said of his reasons for applying.

The school has a guaranteed seat for one NWT applicant every year, but last year no one applied.

"There's only 100 students from 88 countries across the world," he said.

There are numerous United World College's around the world, and they are formed as a way of promoting peace and tolerance by bringing together diverse cultures from around the globe under one roof.

Harrison said his family and friends were supportive, though at the time he said they didn't fully understand what it was.

"Well I didn't actually explain it to anyone," he said. "I just told them I was applying."

He thinks that being surrounded by people from around the world will be interesting, and he hopes they can learn something from him.

"You don't really think that your culture is unique," he said. "It's going to be interesting to everyone else how I live my life."

The biggest thing for Harrison, however, is graduating.

"I'm just taking it one step at a time."

At the school students can choose a certain area of the arts to focus on.

Harrison has taken part in many musical performances at Sir John Franklin, as well as being part of the choir and band and he's made the decision to concentrate on music.

"It's an amazing opportunity," he said.