Kirsten Larsen
Northern News Services

NNSL (Apr 02/99) - The students at Sir John Franklin high school had a chance to share reality and a slice of cake with MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew during a school assembly celebrating the creation of two territories.

The assembly, held March 30, incorporated the celebration of Nunavut into the school's acknowledgment of Education Week by having guest speakers inform students about the territorial split.

Principal Anne Mieke Cameron said that Blondin-Andrew was invited by the school to increase the students' understanding and recognition of the territorial split.

"I just phoned the constituency office and asked if she would be here and if she was we would love to have her here. I asked her if she would come and explain to the students the changes that are happening and why it's important to Nunavut."

Cameron said that students in Yellowknife may not fully understand what the split means to the people of Nunavut and the many cultures in the Western Arctic.

"There's not just Yellowknife in the picture," said Cameron. "There are 10 official languages here with many diverse cultures, much more than in Nunavut, so I say let's pay attention.... Let's just open our eyes and appreciate the number of different people walking amongst us."

Blondin-Andrew explained to the students that the decision for the territorial split came out of an understanding that evolved through years of discussion. "It (the split) is not coming out of conflict, not out of a challenge.... It's recognizing the uniqueness of Nunavut," said Blondin-Andrew.

The students were told that even though they did not play a part in the decision for the territorial split, they should recognize that they will soon be inheriting and influencing the future of the territories.

"When I look around I don't see students but people essentially who will replace us senior people," said Blondin-Andrew.

"There are jobs here and we have wonderful opportunities ahead of us.... There is a future for you, too," the MP assured students.

Blondin-Andrew encouraged the students to appreciate the opportunities offered to them in the North and stressed that if they choose to leave and travel, they should return to the North with their experience.

"These are your jobs -- they are not going to be ours forever," said Blondin-Andrew. Cameron said there is a focus in the school and in the education system to encourage students to understand and appreciate the North and create a future for themselves in the North.

"More and more we are trying to put the ideas here that this is a place that has incredible potential," said Cameron.

"I was delighted to hear her (Blondin-Andrew) talk about the potential in the North. It's a southern idea that to make it you have to leave and go south. I think to leave is to get a better perspective for when you come back."