SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Working in a mine or raising babies at home were the two main career goals Lea Lamoureux heard from students when she took over as principal of Kaw Tay Whee School in Dettah.

Principal Lea Lamoureux and Grade 1 students Cameron Martin, left, and Ryder Manuel take a break from class for a picture. Kaw Tay Whee School in Dettah has increased students' reading levels dramatically in the last several years. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

But seven years later, she's hearing different things.

She said both goals are important but students have expanded their horizons.

"We're hearing different things now," said Lamoureux. "People are really getting interested in engineering and the sciences when they're little."

Kaw Tay Whee School in Dettah has come a long way in the past several years.

"It's a wonderful place," said Seth Miersch, a Grade 8 student. "It keeps me safe."

The small school's interiors are brightly coloured with student-selected artwork and furniture.

Miersch was writing a blog post about a stop-motion video he was making.

"The school taught me a lot," he said. "I was reading at a Grade 3 level in Grade 6 and within a couple of months I was reading at my level."

Literacy has been a primary goal for Lamoureux, who has been receiving national accolades for her role in turning the school around. When she took over Kaw Tay Whee, the school was $180,000 in debt and children could hardly read. Regular attendance was a major challenge. Now it's up to 80 or 85 per cent.

The first thing Lamoureux did when she took over was ask the Yellowknives Dene First Nation for money for books. She thought it was naive at the time but soon found out just how much the community wanted to help.

"We have found with Yellowknives Dene, anything we have ever asked for, they have gladly given us," said Lamoureux. "They'll do anything to support us."

Other public and private sector organizations have pitched in, too.

The old debt is long gone. The school's storage room has been turned into a library with a book sign-out program that

even adults use.

"We found that kids really wanted to read but they didn't have access to the skill set or physically to the books," said Lamoureux.

"We found a way to get books, magazines and comics into the home though monthly subscriptions."

Blogging was a big piece of literacy education.

Recently, students visited the Thunder In Our Voices exhibit at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre and blogged about it.

Lamoureux said online comments to the students' blogs were even more important than seeing the display.

"Those people were listening to what they had to say, and if that's not a motivator for writing, I don't know what is," she said.

Lamoureux said engaging the whole community has been a key factor in the school's success.

Miersch isn't sure about a career yet but wants to work with his hands. He thinks Kaw Tay is a benefit to the community.

"It really is a big help for everybody here," he said. "It keeps them out of trouble."

Lamoureux received an outstanding principal award at last week's board meeting for Yellowknife Education District 1.

She and fellow teacher Neil Penney received Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence in 2013.

In 2011, Lamoureux received a ministerial literacy award from the GNWT.

Yk1 superintendent Metro Huculak couldn't be reached for comment by press time.

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