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Akaitcho reunion

Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jun 06/01) - Geeky glasses, hip-hugging bell-bottoms, long sideburns -- fashion has come full circle a few times since the doors of Akaitcho Hall first swung open.

A small group of volunteers is getting a good glimpse of the original versions of current fashions as they assemble the Akaitcho Gazette.

Akaitcho Hall Reunion

  • Date: June 29-July 1
  • Friday: registration and dance
  • Saturday: school tours, memory lane, break-up banquet and dance
  • Sunday: walking in Canada Day parade and dedication ceremony at Akaitcho Hall site


    • The newspaper will commemorate the 37 years -- starting in 1958 -- the residence was a home away from home for high school students from across the Canadian Arctic.

    Right now the Gazette is piles of photos and notes on a table in a small room at Sir John Franklin high school. Part of the job of transforming the piles into 32 camera-ready pages falls to Sir John students and teachers working after school and during spares.

    "I'm taking journalism next year at Mount Royal and this gives me an idea if I'm heading in the right direction," said Cheryl Robinson, one of the student volunteers.

    For one of the stories that will appear in the paper, Robinson interviewed Tony Whitford, Speaker of the legislative assembly and one of the first students to stay at Akaitcho.

    Though she is not certain journalism is the path she wants to follow, Crystal Milligan said the experience of working on the Gazette allows her to do something she enjoys, writing.

    Milligan spoke with Nunavut MP Nancy Karetak-Lindell about her memories of Akaitcho, but came up short of information about something her research turned up that piqued her interest.

    "One thing I kept finding references to was the passion pit -- Nancy didn't know about it. I really want to know what that was." Sir John alumnus and Yellowknife MLA Bill Braden is helping to organize the reunion. He recalled the passion pit was a co-ed area of the hall, one of the few places students had a chance to mingle with members of the opposite sex.

    Braden noted that the fathers of the three student volunteers in the room, including his eldest daughter, Rae, attended Sir John Franklin high school.

    Though the volunteer force has been organizing the June 29-July 1 reunion since March, Braden and other organizers are still looking for help during the reunion. There's a limit of 300 tickets for the climactic Saturday night dinner and dance. Braden said he's received upwards of 200 e-mails from northern and southern Canada.

    If you want to make sure you have a seat there, register as soon as possible.