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THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
If you spend 10 minutes talking to Al Karasiuk – principal of the Paul W. Kaeser School in Fort Smith – it's easy to understand why he's one of Canada's Outstanding Principals.

Al Karasiuk, principal of Paul W. Kaeser School in Fort Smith is one of this year's recipients of Canada's Outstanding Principals. - NNSL file photo

Hard work, dedication and an 'outside-the-box' approach to education helped the Winnipeg native win the award – which is handed out by the Learning Partnership, a charitable organization that advocates for public education through research, policy and leadership.

The prestigious honour was announced last week – a distinction that caught Karasiuk off guard.

"I was surprised," Karasiuk said. "I knew I was nominated but I was surprised because I don't necessarily think what we're doing here is any more or less than what any other school does. Everyone is in it for the right reasons, trying to help the kids do the best they can."

That humble attitude, developed through nearly 20 years of teaching and living in the North, is what allows Karasiuk to maintain perspective when it comes to education.

Among the many achievements Karasiuk is being recognized for is the Phoenix School, NWT's first storefront school.

"We started it four years ago to meet a need for a group of students who were falling through the cracks and who couldn't, for whatever reason, function in a regular school day or semester system," Karasiuk said. "We banded together and started it up and we thought we'd get maybe 12 or 13 kids and I think we had 55 in the first year."

Stepping away from traditional education models, Karasiuk's initiative with its flexible, student-driven policy, has enabled those who might not have graduated to complete their schooling.

"It's progress based," Karasiuk said. "Students build a timeline with the teachers there .. they don't have to panic for upcoming exams and say 'I have to have the course finished because it's ended.' We say 'No, you take the time to get the course.' Some people like to take one class at a time and others like two or three."

The Phoenix School is open in the afternoons and evenings, as well as a month in the summer, to help accommodate the needs of working students and those that cannot make regular hours.

"It's a very mature approach and the kids take a lot of self-ownership from learning, which is what it should be," Karasiuk said.

Karasiuk will be heading to Toronto on Feb. 28 to celebrate the award with principals from all over Canada.

"There's a whole week of leadership workshops that are being put on by the Leadership Partnership," Karasiuk said. "I am really looking forward to that."

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