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THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
The conclusion of this school year will also see the end of the Western Arctic Leadership Program (WALP) in Fort Smith.

House parent Jay Macdonald, left, and student Michelle Apples from Behchoko are among the people saddened by the upcoming closure of the Western Arctic Leadership Program in Fort Smith. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Since its beginnings in 1990, the program has attracted students from all over the Northwest Territories to develop leadership skills and attend Paul William Kaeser High School.

"This will be the last year," said Jay Macdonald, a house parent with WALP. "The program will close in June."

The upcoming closure is basically due to insufficient funding to run it properly.

This year, 17 students started the program and eight remain.

Among them is Michelle Apples from Behchoko.

"It's very sad to see it's closing because I spent two years here and I made a whole bunch of friends, and I learned to grow as an individual," she said.

She also thinks WALP helped her prepare to become a leader in the future.

Apples will complete Grade 12 this year, but noted other students in her community had hoped to attend the program.

"I had a whole bunch of my cousins wanting to come here and their friends, but I had to tell them it was closing, and they were all pretty sad," she said.

Another student, Jake Roche of Deline, is also sad to see WALP closing, noting he was "shocked" by the news.

Roche, who has been attending the program for two years, is completing Grade 11 and was looking forward to returning next year, noting he enjoys the sports opportunities in Fort Smith.

As for next school year, he is not sure what he will do. "I might come back here and stay with a friend or go to Yellowknife."

Roche noted his younger brother and a couple of other students in Deline were also hoping to attend WALP.

The planned closure was announced in late April by the program's board of directors.

Board chairperson Earl Jacobson was unavailable for comment last week.

On May 10, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment issued a written reaction to the upcoming closure of WALP.

"With grade extensions that have been introduced in most communities across the NWT, it is now possible for students to complete their graduation requirements in their home community," the statement reads in part.

The department noted it consistently supported WALP, including annual funding of $275,000, and would have continued to support the program.

However, the statement concluded the department fully supports WALP's board of directors in its decision.

Macdonald explained WALP is closing because of a lack of money to do the things the program was designed to accomplish.

"We're at a point where basically the budget is big enough where we can put a roof over the kids' heads and we can provide transportation and basic necessities, but there's no real programming dollars left," he said.

Macdonald said the funding levels for the program have stayed relatively the same over the years. "But as inflation and all of those factors come to bear, it has really put a lot of stress on the dollars and trying to keep everyone active."

The program used to feature a full camping program once a month in the winter, but that was scaled back to once a year. Other programs have also fallen away, such as an autumn camp, a canoe trip in the spring, public speaking, and trips to colleges and universities in the south.

Macdonald said it is really sad that WALP is closing, noting there is no question it has had a positive effect on students.

Plus, he added it is a loss for the community, which will no longer benefit from the volunteer work of WALP participants, and Paul William Kaeser High School, which will lose students.

Along with Macdonald as a part-time house parent, the program employs his wife, who is the full-time house parent, and a tutor.

In addition to Behchoko and Deline, students at WALP this year come from Paulatuk, Tulita and Fort Providence.

"We've had students from almost every community in the time we've been here," said Macdonald, referring to the 11 years he has been a house parent. "Over the time that the program ran, I think there was probably a student from every community."

Typically, between 17 and 19 students started each year with WALP and the number dropped as some of them returned to their home communities for various reasons.

Macdonald noted another issue facing WALP is its old building. Constructed in 1960, it is owned by the Oblate missionaries, who allow the building to be used rent-free but WALP has to pay for upkeep and heat and power.

"It's quite an old building and it needs a whole overhaul, like a complete retrofit," Macdonald said, adding he is not sure what will happen to the building after WALP ends.

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