Christine Grimard
Northern News Services
Friday, February 16, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - William MacDonald school is planning to send 22 students to Papineauville, Quebec on a cultural exchange.

Through the Society for Educational Visits and Exchanges in Canada (SEVEC), the airfare for the exchange will be funded through Heritage Canada and other corporate and government sponsors. The students will be staying with host families in the small town located between Montreal and Ottawa.

"For many of them, it's their first trip away from home," said Yolande Allain, the French teacher at the school who applied for the funding and has since been organizing the trip. "This one is so special."

Allain now faces the task of choosing 22 students from 40 who have submitted projects in hopes of getting the opportunity to go on the exchange. The same number of students from Papineauville will be staying in Yellowknife from April 12 to 18, while students from Yellowknife will travel to Quebec from May 9 to 15.

Budget under way

The school board is getting started on next year's budget, reported Duff Spence, vice chair of YK1 school board.

After hearing that the board might be coming in under budget this year from Tram Do, director of corporatesServices, Spence laid out the plans for next year's budget process.

Spence hopes to bring a timeframe forward to the committee by March or April as to when exactly the budget should be completed. He doesn't expect too many delays.

"We've done this before, we have some history and we know the right questions to ask," said Spence.

Superintendent Metro Huculak said that he should be finished meeting with school principals by Feb. 21 to see what staffing needs will be like for next year.

Recycling dollars

N.J. Macpherson school has reportedly banked $6,000 from the school's recycling program.

Through lunchtime recycling, and parents bringing in their home recycling, students and staff have been working to sort and return the recycling for the small fortune. They plan on using the money for playground equipment.

To further improve their playground environment, the school board heard that the school's Parental Advisory Committee discussed needing more volunteers to help supervise the playground.

"As parents, we do have an obligation to go out (and volunteer)," Spence told the school board.