SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Eight students from the Route 51 Learning Institute were in Edmonton earlier this year where they toured several university and college campuses, and learning about life in the big city.

Route 51 teacher Joyce Whiteford said it's important for young Northerners to be equipped to deal with the challenges of living in a larger city like Edmonton. She told trustees during a Yk Education District No. 1 school board meeting on June 14 that the four-day trip at the end of March provided the students with that opportunity.

"They got a chance to see college campuses with populations the size of Yellowknife in them, and they got the chance to use public transportation and get a taste of what living in a bigger place would be like," she said.

The institute is for Northern students from ages 16-21 who want to continue their high school education through Alberta long distance learning courses online.

The trip, which cost approximately $12,000, was financially supported by Department of Health and Social Services intervention funding, and the Yellowknife Rotary Club. Yellowknifer couldn't verify the proportion of funding offered between the department and the Rotary Club at press time.

The students visited the University of Alberta, Grant MacEwan University and Marvel Hair School, and learned about city life such as using the light rail transit system. Several of the students returned home with plans for their future careers, said Whiteford.

"We (Route 51) want to give students who want to pursue an education in the south more opportunities for success," she said.

Students promote 'inclusion' awareness

Two students each from St. Patrick's High School and Sir John Franklin High School attended last week's board meeting to showcase a presentation on promoting 'inclusion' - where mainstream students are encouraged to socialize with those with special needs - in Yellowknife schools. The students took part in a joint initiative between Yellowknife Catholic Schools and Yellowknife Educational District No. 1.

The students travelled to Orillia, Ontario on March 25-27 to take part in an workshop which celebrated diversity and belonging in school communities.

"The GNWT contributed $6,800 to the travel costs (of the trip) said Merril Dean, co-ordinator for student support at Yellowknife Catholic Schools. Dean added that the project was also funded by the Canadian Mental Health Association and Manulife Financial. Students who participated in the workshop returned to Yellowknife with the hope of promoting awareness about the need for inclusion in the schools, she said. The students are planning to make a video of students discussing their feelings on the issue.

Yellowknife gets 'Groovie'

Nationally known French children's author Annie Groovie visited several Yellowknife schools on a tour of the Northwest Territories this month to share her popular comic books about Leon the Cyclops with students. The author, who has written 48 comics books so far, visited William McDonald Middle School, J.H. Sissons School, and Ecole Alain St. Cyr from Monday to Wednesday, before continuing her Northern tour in Hay River.

"She's very popular with the students," said Paul Bennett, principal of Sissons.

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