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It pays to show up

Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Liard (Feb 11/05) - Making sure you get good grades is one reason to go to school every weekday.

Having a full tummy and enjoying a movie are other incentives, at least for students at Echo Dene school.

Pupils who manage 90 per cent attendance or better are being rewarded each month. Last Friday, more than 40 committed students were invited to enjoy a lunch of fried chicken, spuds and juice. Aaron Nadia said it tasted good.

They also watched Finding Nemo and Brother Bear.

Sisters Ivy-Lynn and Elsie Marcellais agreed the rewards program is a good idea.

"It will help more kids come to school," Ivy-Lynn said.

The attendance incentives were introduced in November. The rewards aren't limited to the most devoted students, but also include their families. At Christmas, those families received a turkey or ham. In the spring, a small feast is to be held in their honour.

Principal Don Fitzpatrick said he gleaned the idea from an education leadership conference held in Fort Smith during the summer.

It will probably be the end of the school year before staff can assess how successful the initiative has been, he noted.

Echo Dene has been charting monthly attendance levels.

The lowest turnout, 55 per cent, came in September when the fall hunt was held and many families spent weeks out on the land. At 82 per cent, November has ranked as the month with the best school-wide attendance so far.

Student Natasha Lepage said it's wise to come to class daily, "so we can get a good education."

Mathew Gauthier, who's in Grade 9, concurred and added that a good education will also help him find a decent job when he's older.

Tyson McLeod, a Grade 8 student, credited his mother with helping him maintain his good attendance.

She makes sure he's out of bed by 8:30 a.m. each weekday morning. He grabs a quick bite to eat and races out the door, he said.

The rewards program makes coming to school even more appealing, he acknowledged.

"It's worth all the hard work," he said.