Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Jean Marie River (May 27/05) - The writing was literally on the wall in the Jean Marie River community gym last week.

Hundreds of pages of students' stories, poems, grammar lessons and artwork were on display as part of the Literacy Fair.

Alisha Grossetete reads The Paper Bag Princess to Brian Jaffray, her reading buddy at the Louie Norwegian school Literacy Fair on May 19 in Jean Marie River.

With family members assembled in the gym, the students marched in to the Tina Turner tune Simply the Best.

"That's the message that we bring to our children and I think our children will bring to you," teacher George Urban told the audience in regards to the Simply the Best theme.

Vanessa Sanguez sang O'Canada in Slavey and later played Amazing Grace on fiddle.

That was followed by many readings of essays and poems. Student Winston Norwegian recounted how the original Louie Norwegian school was built in 1952 using logs brought in by barge. The former chief Louie Norwegian lobbied for the school building because he wanted the community's children to reside with their families rather than at the hostel in Fort Providence, Winston said.

Kyle Norwegian, whom teacher Linda Urban described as the school's resident expert on whales, followed with numerous facts and figures on the world's largest mammals.

Linda Urban noted that each of the students had read at least 100 books - although the youngest ones had stories read to them. Ariel Sanguez was the most voracious reader, having completed 244 books.

Chief Fred Norwegian, called upon to say a few words, said from what he saw and heard, "you students have worked very, very hard to put this together.

"As your chief I am very proud."

MLA Kevin Menicoche and education superintendent Nolan Swartzentruber also marvelled at the proceedings.

"You've come an awful long way in a short time," Swartzentruber told the pupils. Before the occasion came to a close, the students each received a copy of a dictionary autographed by four-time Olympian skier Sharon Firth, who hails from the NWT.