Yellowknife (Oct 20/04) - When people in Dettah took control of their education last winter, they hoped kids would start returning to the community for their schooling.

Their hopes are coming true this year as a growth surge hit the Kaw Tay Whee school hard in September.

The kindergarten to Grade 4 school boasts 30 students this year. That's almost double last year's enrolment. They ended the school year with 16 students, after starting with only 11.

The Dettah District Education Authority (DDEA) was formed last December. Principal Don Finley attributes the influx of students to the move, but admits it caught the school off guard.

"They (Dettah) didn't feel that they had enough control here. Now they are starting to come back to the school," he said from his office.

The school used to be governed by the Dogrib Community Service Board, a multi-purpose board that provided administration to the school since 1968.

With control wrested from that board into the hands of the Dettah-based authority, parents are pulling their kids out of Yellowknife schools and back into Kaw Tay Whee.

A new teacher was added to the mix, bringing the total to three full-time staff, including Finley.

"We'll add a year up to Grade 9," said Finley of the future growth of the school.

"In between, we'll take some of the kids who have dropped out of Grade 9 (in Yellowknife)," he said.

Six students from Grade 7-10 currently attend the school in an alternative program.

He assumes that the other 50 school-age children in Dettah will eventually return to the community for their education. They are currently enroled in Yellowknife schools.

"We'll just take it as it comes," he said.

Parents feel open

Berna Martin is a trustee on the DDEA. She credits current staff at the school for the resurgence as well.

"It's the parents that decided they wanted to bring back the kids. The parents feel open to the teachers," she said.

Martin, who is also the language and culture teacher at Kaw Tay Whee, sees more growth in the future.

"We always want to have our kids in our community, where they can do things with their own culture," she said.