HAY RIVER - A new initiative has been launched by Hay River's Diamond Jenness Secondary School to offer education to those finding it difficult fitting into the regular school system.

Student Matthew Tambour reads a textbook at the Storefront Education Centre, a new initiative of Hay River's Diamond Jenness Secondary School. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

The Storefront Education Centre opened on Oct. 1 in office space at the base of the community's high-rise, across the street from the school.

Paul Theriault, the principal of Diamond Jenness, said such an alternative learning setting is "absolutely" needed in Hay River, adding it's a growing trend across the country.

"There are just too many success stories with this model that it's not something we can ignore," he said.

Theriault said regular high school does not work for some youth and young adults in Hay River for a number of reasons. That could include older students returning to school years after dropping out, young mothers with childcare responsibilities, and students who have difficulty conforming to the rules or schedules of regular high school.

"They can work on their own pace and on their own time schedules," Theriault said, explaining some may also have jobs.

Shelene Giraldi, the teacher assigned to the new initiative, said students could have trouble fitting into a regular high school for any number of reasons, even something like having difficulty sitting for 40 minutes in a class.

"They have different learning styles, so we take a lot of those things into account, as well," she said, adding the students become more self-directed.

One of the students, Matthew Tambour, 18, said he was having problems getting along with teachers at Diamond Jenness and probably wouldn't have graduated there.

"I wasn't a class type person," he said. However, Tambour said he is happy at the new storefront school.

"You can get your work done at your own pace," he said.

Michael Kimble, 15, of Enterprise is another student who was having trouble getting along with teachers at Diamond Jenness, and also believes he would not have graduated if he had stayed in the regular high school system.

"It's a little bit better for me now because I get to work a little harder than I did over there," he said.

Resha Korotash, 22, is studying at the storefront school after dropping out of high school six years ago.

"I think it's a great opportunity for anyone who wants to finish school," she said.

Before being admitted, potential students meet with Theriault, the teacher and the high school counsellor, and agree to live by an educational plan.

"They need to be interested in obtaining a high school diploma," Giraldi said.

The storefront school can't be used for upgrading by someone who already has a high school diploma.

Giraldi said, she doesn't teach students in the traditional sense.

"I assist them," she said, explaining she is a teacher, facilitator and co-ordinator.

Each student is registered in a minimum of three courses.

More than 30 students have signed up for the initiative, and 20 to 25 of them are fairly active. The minimum age for students is generally 16 and there is no maximum age. Currently, the oldest is in his 30s.

Theriault called the storefront school a work in progress.

"It's very much a pilot project," he said. "There are absolutely no guarantees it will be able to continue. We're hoping that success breeds success."

For the moment, it is only guaranteed to be open until June of next year. The Storefront Education Centre borrows some ideas from the successful Phoenix School set up in 2007 by Fort Smith's Paul William Kaeser High School.

"We have no intention to reinvent the wheel," Theriault said. The principal said students have been challenged to come up with a unique name for the new storefront school.

So far, Diamond Jenness has invested nearly $5,000 in the new initiative, not counting the teacher's salary.

Theriault said funding has come from a number of sources, but not the regular school budget. However, the students at the Storefront Education Centre are officially part of Diamond Jenness and will help increase per-student funding in the future.

Money spent on the storefront school is not affecting programming at the main school, Theriault said. "When we set out to do it, one of the key factors is it cannot take away from regular programming in any way, shape or form."