Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services

Fort Franklin (Jan 28/02) - A teacher is launching an ambitious project to keep students from dropping out of school in his community.

Christopher Carson, who teachers Grade 10 and 11 at Ehtsea Ayah school, is launching a raffle with major prizes to raise money for a two-week road trip in May.

The top prize is a $8,000 snowmachine along with 99 other prizes including cash, stereos, televisions and a washer and dryer.

Tickets are $20 each and the draw is March 27.

"I'm doing this to give students a focus, something to work toward, that will keep them in school," said Carson, who created a travel club to handle the raffle.

Carson needs around $30,000 to take students on a road trip of the Prairies. He wants to visit universities and capital cities to show students how far they can go.

A teacher at the school for three years, Carson said half his students dropped out his first year and one third of his class dropped out this year.

The school doesn't have any Grade 12 students this year.

"I knew something had to be done," said Carson.

Students usually drop out at four points during the year, said Carson.

The first group drops out in September after checking out the school and deciding it isn't for them. Others quit between December and January because it gets to cold to get up in the morning.

Schools closed last Thursday because of the cold.

When the ice road opens in late January students take off with family or friends for trips on the ice road and don't come back, and in April, when the weather gets warm, it's just too nice to sit in class.

Grade 10 student Josh Lehman, 15, said he's been trying to sell tickets. He sees the trip as a good idea to keep youth in school.

"Youth should stay in school because you can't go anywhere without an education," said Lehman. "I stay in school because I don't want to be a dumb-ass."

Lehman wants to work in computers.

Grade 11 student Nadine Koakin, 18, dropped out of school for a year but she came back after thinking about her future.

"I was too into my social life," said Koakin, who has a 20-month-old daughter named Kaylie. "School and me didn't go together."

Koakin said the birth of her daughter forced her to change her mind.

"It wasn't just about me any more," said Koakin. "I wanted to give my daughter a future and I needed an education to do that."