Yellowknife (Apr 20/05) - A plan for an innovative school playground that will double as a public park is in the works at Mildred Hall elementary school.
Principal Yasemin Heyck told the school board of the MHS Playground Committee's plans to replace the treeless, concrete area with a vibrant green space.
The area would serve as a school playground during the day and as a public park the rest of the time.
"The downtown is not known for being a nice, green place," she told trustees.
"We have an opportunity to create something very unique," she said.
The committee plans to hire a landscape architect and a consultant to create a business plan for the project. The initial cost is expected to be $10,000.
French changes coming
A discussion broke out among trustees as a set of motions that will change French programming at Yk No. 1 were brought to the meeting table last Tuesday.
Trustee Terry Brookes asked for more time and information, including budget and enrolment statistics, before voting on four motions brought about by the French Revitalization Project.
His motion to table the motions to a later date was defeated.
"I would like to see this move ahead," said chairperson Reanna Erasmus during the discussion.
"We have to have programs to entice the students," she said, adding that the district sometimes has to take risks in their programming.
Brookes opposed a motion to offer an intensive core French program as a pilot project, but motions to increase core French from 90-150 minutes a week to 200 minutes a week, adding late French immersion for 2007/2008 and retaining the current middle immersion program passed unanimously.
Former chairperson remembered
Trustees took a moment to remember the legacy of longtime Yellowknife resident Bob Spence, who died at the age of 81 on April 8.
Reanna Erasmus talked about Spence's commitment to education and volunteerism. He served as the chairperson of Yk No. 1 from 1966-1970.
Erasmus sent condolences out to trustee and son Duff Spence, as well as to his family.
"We have lost someone special in our community," she said, referring to Spence as a founding father of Yellowknife.
