Iqaluit (May 10/04) - Ashley Tufts and Orla Osborne are no strangers to ice floes, seals, whales and bitter cold.

But now the Grade 11 Inuksuk high school students are seeking bigger ice, more adventure, and possibly penguins through a program called Students on Ice.

"I'm excited about it; it's a real adventure," said Tufts. "There is going to be hiking off ship, lots of penguins, whales."

Tufts, a speed skater, heard about the program while at the Arctic Winter Games this year.

Students on Ice is an educational Canadian adventure program for students and adults sponsored in part by the department of foreign affairs and international trade, Canadian Space Agency, as well as the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and a number of Canadian companies.

The student voyage Tufts and Osborne have been accepted to is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 17-31, 2004.

Now, the real first leg of their journey begins as they must each raise $10,900 to pay their way.

"We're writing letters," said Osborne. "Letters to companies. Getting people to sponsor us."

Only 75 students from around the world are accepted for the student trip each year.

Considered an ultimate field trip, led by world-renowned explorer and guide Geoff Green, Students on Ice is intended to give environmentally aware, bright students a once-in-a-lifetime experience amidst spectacular scenery and wildlife, while getting a real sense of what ozone depletion and pollution is doing to the environment. "It's something very few people get to do," said Osborne.

If they go, Osborne and Tufts will be eager to document every second of their journey.

"We can do slide show presentations or video presentations in Iqaluit when we get back," said Osborne.

For more information about the program, visit www.studentsonice.com.