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Outstanding in Pangnirtung

Jillian Dickens
Northern News Services

Pangnirtung (Feb 13/06) - Not just anybody can be inducted into the National Academy of Principals. In fact, only 30 people in this country are allowed in the prestigious group this year.

In order to get in, you have to be a principal of a public school and you have to be outstanding.

Lena Metuq of Alookie school in Pangnirtung is just that.

Alookie was scheduled to arrive in Toronto today to be inducted as one of Canada's Outstanding Principals by the Learning Partnership.

She views herself as someone who just does her job. But when she defines just what she thinks her job is, you can see how she would be viewed as outstanding.

"My job is to prepare students for their future and help them to achieve their potential and help them with self-esteem. It's also to help teachers give their best to students. To try to instill in teachers that everybody has worth regardless of who they are and where they come from, and for them to help build their students' self-esteem and take pride in themselves."

She says rearing children and students into their full potential is an effort everybody in that person's life needs to be a part of.

"We're working with parents, the District Education Authority and teachers to help students see successes in school."

Accomplishments come in all sizes, and whether they are little or large, they all need recognition, says Alookie. A small success could be good attendance or making a good friend. A large success could be learning to read or write, or contributing something to another student, a parent or a teacher, she says.

All successes should be positively reinforced, she says.

Keeping school fun is a major kicker to helping kids learn.

Her way to keep life fun is to create themes that frame each month. Last month, the theme was Inuit tools and winter skies.

In terms of the winter sky theme, teachers and students focused on "what happens to the sky in the winter," said Alookie.

During the week of Valentine's Day, the school will take on a love, caring and friendship theme. For the weeks following that, the focus will be working with elders and learning about polar bears.

But before then, the outstanding principal will spend a week in Toronto, attending an Executive Leadership Training Program at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

She'll be hanging out with other leaders in the educational, social, cultural and business communities.

And she's thrilled.

"I would like to thank all the people who nominated me, supported me and congratulated me - parents, teachers, students, community members and the DEA."