Baker Lake (Mar 22/04) - A new breakfast program in Baker Lake has students at Rachel Arngnammaktiq elementary school starting their day off right.

The majority of the funding for the program was provided by Brighter Futures.

Grade 5 teacher Taras Humen said the kids were quite excited during the first day of the program earlier this month.
He said a couple of teachers even drove around town on the school bus, helping to pick up students on the first morning breakfast was served.

Extreme bus makeover
The bus was outfitted with a banner decorated by the Grade 2 students, and accompanied by two members of the Baker Lake RCMP detachment.
"They (the RCMP) had their lights and sirens going while the school bus was picking up kids, so it was a pretty special morning in the hamlet," Humen said.

"The kids who took the bus into school early for breakfast were really excited, so the whole morning was kind of neat.
"The kids in the gym were pretty wound up, as well, so it was almost a festive environment."

A hot breakfast and milk are served from 8:20 a.m. to 8:40 a.m., Monday through Friday.

Humen said you can trace the idea behind the new breakfast program to the fact that students learn better and are more focused when they start their day off with a good meal.

"The teachers know when the kids come to school with a full stomach they're more prepared to learn," he said.

"And that's the two main points with us -- the fact they're starting the day off with a nutritious meal and we know their efforts in the classroom should improve when they're not worrying about a growling noise in the pit of their stomach. That's what matters most to us as teachers: that the program should help our kids be better students."