Yellowknife (June 16/03) - Nominated by students to speak during graduation for the second time, there's no question teacher Wade Carpenter is an inspiration.

Having started his teaching career at Sir John Franklin High and sticking with it ever since, his teaching style and the way he makes it relevant to world issues made him a popular choice.

Wade Carpenter, Sir John Franklin high school biology teacher, poses with his favourite science model. - Cheryl Robinson/NNSL photo

From his leadership in the Scuba Club to his fun teaching techniques, students have spoken and say Wade Carpenter is making a difference in the way they learn about science and their entire outlook on life.

Wade Carpenter: Another teacher. My Grade 11 English teacher was probably the biggest influence on me.

N/N: Did you always want to be a teacher?

WC: Not really. I went to visit that old English teacher in Hawaii one year and we were walking around the university there and she said it would be a good idea for me to become a teacher. So I decided to go to university and pursue biology with the hopes of one day teaching high school.

N/N: Where is the first place you ever taught?

WC: Right here at Sir John in Yellowknife is the first full-time teaching job I ever got. I was hired by the current principal, Ms. Cameron. She actually hired me right over the phone. So she took a risk on me. That was six years ago and I've been here ever since.

N/N: Why did you want to teach in Yellowknife?

WC: It's a long story actually. I was working out on the Pacific Ocean before I became a teacher and I was reading a book called Alaska by James A. Michener. It was talking about the North, the NWT and the Yukon and it all sounded so great. When I got off the boat I swore that I would come to the North.

N/N: Had you ever been to Yellowknife before ?

WC: I actually came to this very school in 1995 as a student recruitment officer from the University of Lethbridge.

N/N: I heard you live on a houseboat, is that true?

WC: Actually my girlfriend Marie and I met on a blind date in The Cave and a year later we moved onto a houseboat and stayed there for three years, but now we live on the mainland. We're getting married this summer, actually.

N/N: What other things do you do?

WC: I have a weekly science radio show on CBC with Norbert Poitras on the Trails End program. He interviews me every Monday about a different science topic.

I've been doing that for three years. It's basically a science philosophy segment. And then there's the scuba club here at Sir John. I've been on three trips. We just came back last month from Mexico. There is so much extra-curricular stuff here, it really keeps me going.

N/N: How have you been involved in graduations?

WC: In 2000 I was the guest speaker at grad and then this year they asked me to reply to the toast to the students.

N/N: Were you surprised when the students picked you to speak at their grad?

WC: I'm always surprised and honoured, because they voted on it, and it's always nice to know the students want you to say something on their special night.

N/N: What's the best thing about being a teacher?

WC: Everywhere from the extracurricular big stuff like the scuba trip and the solar panel project we're working on, to the little success stories that students have.

Like when you don't think that a student is going to make it and they surprise you, and especially when you see the underdog students do well. That's always a good feeling.

N/N: Do you plan to leave the North?

WC: Actually, I am taking a year off from 2004 to 2005 on a deferred salary leave because I'm on the program. Then I'll come back and teach for one more year and then I plan on taking a break to travel.

N/N: Why do you want to travel?

WC: I think I need to recharge my batteries a bit. Even though I'm a science teacher I tend to talk a lot about world issues in class and I think I need to go travel the world again to see these issues with my own eyes. But I am going to come back.