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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - As a result of her tireless effort to run a community centered school with a backbone in culture and tradition, Angela James has been named "Distinguished Principal of the Year" by a national body of other school principals late last month.

Shown here teaching Grade 4-5 students the Dogrib language, Angela James, principal of Kalemi Dene School in Ndilo, was named the Distinguished Principal of the Year by the Canadian Association of Principals last month. - Tim Edwards/NNSL photo

James, principal of Kalemi Dene School in Ndilo, was chosen for this award by the Canadian Association of Principals. It was only last February that James received another national honour, the "Outstanding Principal" award from the Learning Partnership, a not-for-profit Canadian education association.

"I really do believe that the reason that I won (the distinguished principal award) is because of us being known as, I would say even a model school, for how a Northern school celebrates the people, the culture, the traditions, the language of where you are," James said earlier this week.

"Our superintendent makes sure that we follow the mandated curriculum and our teachers are Yk1 employees, but from that point our community takes over and our community members are part of our Ndilo education committee."

The committee makes sure that the Dogrib language program is running properly and that culture in the school is being celebrated.

"The mandate of our little school here is, of course, to celebrate the language, culture and traditions of the people here in Ndilo," said James.

James is a Manitoba Metis, who came to the NWT at the age of 18 and spent the next 31 years here, learning about the culture through her step-parents after marrying into a Chipewyan Dene family.

"I was very privileged before I began to work here, at this school, to work with my father-in-law for the last three years of his life where we operated a traditional culture camp for all the kids in Yellowknife," said James.

"We did that for three years. Those were my formative years for working here, I know how to celebrate the things that need to be celebrated by a school leader here in Ndilo. That was like my college."

Part of that celebration is to hold events that involve the entire community, one of which - a duck soup feast - is coming up soon.

"We not only celebrate the culture and the language and the people but we also make sure that we have feasts and we invite the people and the people know that here at the Kalemi Dene School they are welcome," said James.

"There's at least well over 200 people that come to our school here (for the duck soup feast) and it's just so amazing because even when the feast is all done we have people coming over with their Tupperware containers to get duck soup for their elders that are at their homes who can't come to the feast."

Kalemi is small, with about 80 students, and everyone knows everyone, say other teachers. Ashley Deavu, a teacher for grades 2, 3, and 4, said she was keen to sign up at the school under James' leadership.

"I knew before I actually worked here that she was amazing," said Deavu.

"She works in a different way than any other principal I've worked under. They are her kids and they come to her for issues, or just to give her a hug and tell her they love her."

James said she considers the job a calling.

"(My daughter) Jordee, she actually hit the nail right on the head," said James."She said 'mom, you know, I think you won this award because it's Creator's way of showing you that you're on the right path of life and you're doing the right thing.'"

"Well I started crying, because it's true. I mean, I think I'm doing the right thing, I'm where I'm supposed to be, I'm working with an amazing group of teachers and an amazing school. I love these kids. I really, really love them."