Yellowknife (Nov 26/04) - Three years from now, Yellowknife's only French school will send its first high school graduates -- the Class of 2007 -- out into the world.

Five students moved from Grade 9 into the first ever Grade 10 class at Ecole Allain St-Cyr at the beginning of this school year.

The francophone district's mandate is to provide French education to families in the city, but until last year, students had to switch to either Sir John Franklin or St. Patrick high school when they hit Grade 10.

Grade 10 classes were added to accommodate those five students this year. Grade 11 and then Grade 12 will be added over the next two years.

For Charles Baillargeon that means he will have taken kindergarten to Grade 12 all in one school.

The 15-year-old likes the smaller class sizes at Allain St-Cyr, as well as the extra help and the French-only policy.

"I decided to stay. You get a lot more help than you would in those high schools," he said, explaining his decision to pass on the larger, better-equipped schools.

The school already had teachers qualified to teach at the secondary level, so the cost to implement Grade 10 was minimal, according to principal Jacques Angers.

The secondary students will likely take advantage of distance learning for some of their high school courses, said district superintendent Gerard Lavigne.

Video conferencing with francophone schools in the south is also a possibility, he said.

Collaboration with Yellowknife's two high schools is also an option, with open communication currently flowing between the three facilities, Lavigne said.

Though the school is rapidly approaching enrolment capacity and lacking in a few amenities, like a gym, the district will continue to foster secondary education, Lavigne said.

"We're happy to have the Grade 10s there," he said.