Iqaluit (Mar 24/03) - A teacher's retirement may mark the end of a program that has helped give kids who lost interest in school a second chance.

Every year for the past 17 years, Inuksuk high school educator Nick Newbery has taken students from a Grade 9 class to visit the South Baffin community of Kimmirut. The trip is part the Terry Fox Program that Newbery started in 1986.

But Newbery is planning to retire at the end of the school year and said the program will end when he leaves unless someone else takes it over.

Newbery's Grade 9 class is not the conventional setting. The students are not expected to sit at their desks all day and often go out on the land. The set-up has led to regular attendance over the years, he explained.

"There's a lot of hands-on activities. A school day is a long day. Balancing the classroom work with getting out and doing things means success," said Newbery.

The program focuses on Inuit culture. Since Newbery can not instruct in Inuktitut, the students focus on another aspect of Inuit culture-skills and traditions. They build snow shelters, learn fishing skills, and sew traditional clothing. Newbery has been assisted by elders Annie and Elijah Nauyaq for the sewing and on the land portion since the program began.

At the end of each year, during a graduation ceremony, the students receive trophies for their accomplishments.

"I think the kids come out of their year thinking they've really achieved something," said Newbery.

The annual trip to Kimmirut is a chance for the students in to explore a smaller Inuit community.

Up until three years ago, the class travelled from Iqaluit to Kimmirut by snowmobile. It took about six hours to complete the trip plus some time to make stops along the way and explore the surroundings. It was only after Newbery had back surgery that they began travelling by plane. To get a real feel for the community, the students from Iqaluit were paired up with students from Qaqqalik school's Grade 8/9 Kimmirut class.

Each student also stayed with a family in the community. In the morning the group met for breakfast at the local hotel. From there they toured the school, the church, the RCMP station, the health centre and the visitors' centre.

One of the most exciting moments was fishing for cod on Soper Lake.

"It's got lots of fish. It probably takes about seven seconds to catch one," said 15-year-old Grade 9 Terry Fox student Kitty Naglingniq.

This year, they caught more than 100 fish.

Newbery and his class spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out how to thank everyone in Kimmirut. In the end, they decided to throw a community feast.

"We told them it was a thank you for 17 years of kindness. We also brought a whole pile of prizes for different games like tools for a snowmobile and a CD player," he said.

The Mayukalik Hunters and Trappers Association in Kimmirut donated caribou and char to the feast on behalf of the Terry Fox Program.

The community, in turn, came out and showed their support for the program.

"I think the feast was the highlight. It brought everyone together. We really appreciate the Terry Fox Program. A lot of people were sad this was the last trip but are still hoping someone else will pick up where Nick left off," said Phillip Flynn, Grade 8/9 teacher in Kimmirut.

When it came time to get back on the plane, the Iqaluit students did not want to leave.

"They were delighted and hoping they could stay another night," explained Flynn.

Kitty Naglingniq, a student in the Terry Fox Program, and his peers say they are going to miss Mr. Newbery. "I've been in his class for the past two years. He doesn't just talk, he takes you out to see how things work and how they are done," said Naglingniq.

It costs about $30,000 a year to run the program.

Funding for activities and projects comes from a group of local organizations. Newbery named the program for Canadian hero Terry Fox.

Fox decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research after contracting leukemia. His quest began on April 12, 1981 in St. John's, Nfld.

He raised thousands of dollars over the next several months but was forced to stop running when it was discovered the cancer had spread. Fox died on June 28, 1991.

Newbery hopes someone will develop a new program with a similar approach so that kids who need it can continue to get a second chance to learn.