HAY RIVER
If the book Whispers Calling from the Jackpine existed, three Fort Simpson students would have the perfect covers for it.

William Alger of Fort Simpson creates a book jacket as part of the graphic design category at the NWT South Regional Skills Competition put on by Skills Canada NWT in Hay River on Feb. 27. Alger won a bronze medal for his design. - Sarah Ladik/NNSL photo

Lia Fabre-Dimsdale, Isaac Isaiah and William Alger competed in the graphic design category at the NWT South Regional Skills Competition in Hay River on Feb. 27 presented by Skills Canada NWT. The students from Thomas Simpson School swept the medal standings in that division earning gold, silver and bronze respectively.

"It was really fun," said Fabre-Dimsdale, who earned the gold medal.

The three students were given approximately 25 images and some text and asked to blend the images together to create a book jacket. The text had to be included on the jacket and the students also had to redesign the publishing company's logo.

"I thought it was the perfect difficulty and the idea was really cool," Fabre-Dimsdale, 14, said.

The students used their own knowledge and information they'd learned in classes to use Adobe programs to complete the tasks in the allotted time. Doing graphic design is something that Alger, 15, enjoys.

"I just like the idea that you can mess around with photos and add different ideas to them," he said.

At first the students thought the book they were working on was real and were looking forward to reading it. The book, and the competition challenge, were actually designed by Nathalie Lavoie, a visual arts teacher at Thomas Simpson School.

It was a good challenge for a beginner, Lavoie said. The book jackets were judged on creative use of tools and design along with text legibility.

The fact that the three students were the only ones in the graphic design category shouldn't detract from their accomplishment, she said. Thomas Simpson School, as far as Lavoie knows, is the only high school in the territory with a graphics design coach who trains students and takes them to the skills competitions.

Fabre-Dimsdale, Isaiah and Alger are all expected to compete in the territorial competition in May in Yellowknife.

Graphic design wasn't the only category the school was represented in. Jessica Clillie, from Wrigley, was the first student from Thomas Simpson School to compete in the cooking category.

She was challenged to cook a quarter chicken with roasted potatoes, green beans with almonds, a mushroom stuffing and a puff pastry dessert with a creative filling between 9:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

When the time was up, Clillie, and the four other competitors from Hay River, had to have one plate ready for presentation and a second for tasting.

"I was really pleased with her," said Michel Benoit, who coached the Grade 11 student and teaches her in senior high cooking.

"She did extremely well."

Before the competition Clillie learned to debone an entire chicken, which isn't easy, Benoit said. Having only a quarter chicken at the competition and frozen instead of fresh beans threw off some of Clillie's preparations.

Clillie was able to cook everything in time, but didn't place in the medal standings. Next year, Benoit hopes to send two students for cooking.

The Deh Cho was also represented by Deanna Jumbo of Trout Lake who was up against eight other competitors in the photography division.

Skills Canada NWT is hoping to increase the number of schools and students who compete in the south regional competition, which is now in its third year.

There were approximately 25 students from the Deh Cho, South Slave and Tlicho this year, a number Jan Fullerton, the organization's executive director, would like to see double in a few years.

The competition highlights for students what careers in skilled trades and technology are about and gives students who are already studying in those areas a chance to test their skills and meet people working in those fields, she said.

"The ultimate goal being to have more young Northern students choosing careers in skilled trades and technology so that they are prepared to take on those jobs that are increasingly opening up in the North," Fullertron said.