Fort Resolution (Jan 30/06) - Moh Odeen will go to the wall, literally, to encourage learning.

The principal of Fort Resolution's Deninu school actually allowed himself to be duct-taped to a wall on Jan. 20 to help encourage students to do their homework.

Somewhere behind the duct tape is Deninu school principal Moh Odeen, who volunteered to be taped to a wall by students, including, left to right, Trent Beaulieu, Dawn Strand, Elizabeth Giroux, Alicea Delorme and Robin Balsillie. - Photo courtesy of South Slave Divisional Education Council

"Stick it to the Principal" was a fun activity for Homework Week, Jan. 16-20, in South Slave schools.

Odeen said during the week, students received 20cm of duct tape for each homework assignment they completed.

"The whole exercise was to see if they earned enough tape to stick me to the wall," he says.

They did, and everyone in the school gathered in the gym to witness Odeen being taped to a wall on stage.

"The kids were really enthusiastic about it," he says.

Grade 9 student Kolt Fabien notes everyone was laughing and yelling encouragement as the tape was applied by various students.

"It was a lot of fun," says Kolt, who earned two strips of tape to apply himself.

Odeen started out standing on a chair against the wall, but as more and more tape was applied, the chair was removed.

The principal admits to being a little worried whether the tape would actually keep him on the wall, but he says he was solidly stuck for about seven minutes. The whole activity took about a half-hour.

Initially, his face was not going to be covered with duct tape. However, someone came up with the idea of putting a hockey helmet on it and taping over it.

Odeen says there was also some concern as to whether it would be painful when the tape was removed, especially when stuck to hair on the back of his hands. "But it wasn't that painful," he says, noting the whole experience was fun.

It's not the first time he has volunteered for a stunt to encourage students. At a school in the south, he worked on the roof for a day. At Deninu school a couple of years ago, he dressed up as a character from a book.

However, Jan. 20 was the first time he was ever taped to a wall.

Odeen says he will likely do another stunt for next year's Homework Week.

"I think it might be more crazy."