Chris Puglia
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 25/02) - Nearly 22 per cent of the population of Yellowknife is students, which make up nearly 4,000 of all residents.

According to Kern Von Hagen, superintendent of Yellowknife Catholic Schools, that student population is expected to rise.

"The implications of the economic times, i.e. diamond mines, oil and gas are causing an influx of population," said Von Hagen. "While we haven't experienced the influx to the degree we expected to this year, we feel there is a bit of a lag time until the new housing units are complete and then we will feel the impact then."

The problem is the Catholic school board is running out of room and they don't want to be in a position where they would need to turn students away.

Von Hagen said the board has made the desire and need for a new Yellowknife school known to the Department of Education but there are no guarantees.

"Part of the danger is Yellowknife gets seen as a very have community compared to the have-nots, which is not true. We have to go through a political process," said Von Hagen.

The new school would be an elementary or middle school, if approved.