SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Walking into the new K'alemi Dene school is like walking into an ocean of enthusiasm.

After ten years spent cramped in a renovated portable, Ndilo's kids have a big, sun-filled new school.

Vicky-Lee Martin, wearing a deerskin dress made by her mother, beams after cutting the ribbon at K'alemi Dene school's grand opening on Sept. 24, 2009. On her left is elder Mary Jane Francois and David Sangris. On her right is Guy Erasmus, Ndilo community representative. - Erika Sherk/NNSL photo -

And they are proud of it. During the grand opening on Sept. 24, students were everywhere, including manning the doors, eager to welcome the community to their new home.

"It's gorgeous," said Reanna Erasmus, one of three women who lobbied for years for a new school. "I can't think about it or I'll start crying." It has reinvigorated the students, she said.

"The kids are so excited and so proud. I can't explain it, but (the new school has) changed the kids."

About 200 people packed the central area of the school for the grand opening. Ndilo officially welcomed its new school with singing, drumming, and a fish fry.

"It's the culmination of a community dream come true," said Angela James, who has been principal since the school first opened in 1999.

The new 1,800-square metre K'alemi Dene is just a stone's throw from the old one, which was a comparatively tiny 800 square meters. The students used to spend recess on the land where they now sit in classes. It was important to honour that space, said Simon Taylor of Pin/Taylor Architects, the company that designed the building.

"The whole school was designed around the rock where the kids liked to play," Taylor said. The school is remarkable for the amount of natural light that shines through many windows. Wood jutting out of the school's front represents drying racks for meat and fish.

"Reanna and the community were very adamant about not having a typical school," said Taylor. "They wanted one that would enhance the community, serve it properly and reflect their vision for the future."

The architects met with the community and considered lists of ideas submitted by the kids.

"The lockers were the kids' number one priority," said Ashley Deavu, who teaches Grades 1, 2 and 3. "When they got them they were pretty thrilled."

The teachers were also thrilled. "The laminator's no longer in the women's bathroom! The gym equipment is no longer in the staff bathroom!" laughed Deavu.

"The light is incredible," she continued, "The view, the sunshine ... it's clean and it's bright and it's just so welcoming."

Kaiya Goulet, in Grade 2, said she likes the new school very much. "It's bigger and newer and ... bigger," she said shyly. The newer, bigger building was ready just in time. Staff were able to enter the school on Sept.1 and classes started Sept. 8, Deavu said, a few days behind other local schools.

The GNWT granted money for the building in 2005, said James, who also lobbied the government for years, but the construction bids they received were too high.

Finally, in July 2007, a further $1 million was approved for their budget, making the $8 million school possible.

"I had to leave the classroom and I went, 'whooo!' jumping and leaping around," James laughed.

Construction began in August 2007. Enrolment has already gone up, she said. With 92 full-time students and 32 half-time preschool students, "We're very quickly approaching the building capacity, which is 125 people," James said.

"I was laughing with (Minister of Education) Jackson Lafferty, saying I'll be coming, hat in hand, asking for $400,000, $500,000 for an addition. I'm kind of half-joking, kind of serious, too," James added.

It's taken 30 years to get to this point, Erasmus said in her speech. The chiefs of Ndilo decided their children needed a school of their own around 1979, she said. Twenty years later they got their expanded portable. Now, the school has its new home.

"It's built on a very stable foundation," said Taylor, "It will be here a very long time."