Students waiting to hear if teachers strike in Ontario
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Rankin Inlet (Feb 14/01) - A Grade 8 class in Rankin Inlet is very interested in Ontario Premier Mike Harris' education reform policies.
The reason is that 20 students at Maani Ulujuk middle school are scheduled to take part in an exchange program with an Ontario school this spring.
But problems between Harris and the Ontario Teacher's Union could mean the province's teachers walk out on strike this week.
The Rankin student will find out Feb. 15 if the exchange will take place.
Grade 8 teacher Gretchen Perk says the process started when MUI principal Margo Aksalnik heard about the program and gave her the e-mail address of Silver Springs public school teacher, Brad Parolin, in Scarborough, Ont.
"I e-mailed Brad for the information on the program because my students really wanted to do this. Our application was approved and Brad and I have been e-mailing back and forth about the trip since this past October," says Perk.
The Rankin kids are scheduled to travel to Ontario in April, with the Silver Springs students coming to the Kivalliq in March.
The class will be accompanied on its trip by Perk and three other chaperons.
The trip is sponsored by the YMCA and students and chaperons will be billeted by Silver Springs staff.
Student support assistant, Jason Pilakapsi, and the mother (Sandy Ungungai) of one of Perk's top students have already been confirmed as two of the chaperons.
The Rankin class is still fund-raising to support the Silver Springs students' trip to Rankin.
The group is also going to be seeking financial support from Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the Kivalliq Inuit Association to help sponsor their visit.
"We've had lots of parental support for the program and we're hoping to fund-raise between $3,000 to $4,000 for the Ontario kids' trip to Rankin and some various activities while they're here.
"The kids are excited about this and itching to go.
Hopefully, the news on the 15th will be good.
Although the strike would affect our going there, the Ontario students are definitely coming here."
