Northern News Services

Yellowknife (July 01/02) - When Warren Ruben moves away for school this fall, one of the things he'll be most excited about is having a room of his own.

The fourth eldest in a family of 10, 16-year-old Ruben has always shared space with his siblings.

"There's one room each for my older brothers and one for my older sister and the rest stay in the living room," he says.

Earlier this month, he learned he had been accepted to the Western Arctic Leadership Program at PWK high school in Fort Smith.

Besides a chance to move out, Ruben is looking forward to attending a bigger school with a teacher for each subject, and more than one sports team.

If he isn't fazed by the idea of moving far from his community, perhaps it's because he's done big things before.

At the age of 13, he started drum dancing with his friends. The group mimicked a video by banging on cardboard with meter sticks, and within a few years, they were travelling to Germany and Alaska to perform.

When he's not drum dancing or playing sports (volleyball, basketball, soccer, hockey), the busy teen takes part in Junior Rangers, hangs out with his friends, and visits his parents' camp just outside of town. Currently, he's also working a summer job at the hamlet office as an employment officer trainee.

He says he's always liked being active.

"That's what keeps me away from those so-called bad things," he says. "I tried all those addictive things before, but I didn't like it. I look at the people who do drink and they get nowhere. And just about all the professionals I met, like the RCMP and teachers, they told me don't drink, don't smoke. I think that really helped me."

When he graduates from high school, he says he'd like to become a PhysEd teacher, police officer or a pilot.

"But my biggest goal is the NBA," says Ruben. "That was my goal since I started playing basketball."

Until the day he plays with the giants, Ruben will be content with a spot on the school team in Fort Smith. "With 10-foot nets," he says. "We only have eight-foot nets back home."