Jennifer Geens
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 18/05) - St. Patrick high school principal Johnnie Bowden reported a continuing decline in the number of students on academic probation.

Students are put on academic probation when they are failing two or more courses with grades lower than 40 per cent.

Bowden credits the school's policy of mandatory tutorials, additional optional tutorials, choices of evening and weekend classes and even the elimination of junk food for the improvement, though he said it would be hard to quantify the link between better nutrition and improved school performance.

Missing, presumed gone

Alberta lost 23 of Ecole St. Joseph's completed Alberta Achievement tests. Principal Flo Campbell said the loss means the school is unable to analyze its language arts results, because of the small remaining sample size.

The school kept a paper trail while administering the tests and can prove it sent them to Alberta. Provincial officials there were unable to locate the missing tests and told YCS the tests have likely been shredded. Meanwhile, principal Merrill Dean of Weledeh Catholic school said teachers were so pleased with their school's test results, they hoisted a round of non-alcoholic mimosas on a recent PD Day.