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Students shine at skills comp
Fort Simpson team enjoyed challenge and trip to Yellowknife 

Stewart Burnett
Northern News Services
Thursday, April 30, 2015

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Rebekah Isaiah had never spent so many hours in front of a computer before.

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Rebekah Isaiah, left, Hannah Isaiah and Lia Fabre-Dimsdale had nothing but good things to say about their trip to Yellowknife for the NWT Skills Competition last week. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

The Grade 10 student at Thomas Simpson Secondary School travelled with a team of four classmates to take part in the graphic design challenge at the NWT Skills Competition last week in Yellowknife.

They were tasked with designing a front page and two-page inside spread of a magazine in six hours.

"Making the magazine and the logos was really hard," said Isaiah.

"Everything about (the trip) was pretty great, the setup, the closing ceremony. There were a lot of people there."

Her sister, Grade 10 student Hannah Isaiah, wasn't put off by the crowds of people watching competitors work.

"I'm used to people watching behind my back," she laughed.

Hannah placed second in the competition, saying that getting the cover right was a challenge.

"I spent so much time on that," she said, though adding that it was still an enjoyable experience.

"You let your creative side go out. You get to step outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself to compete with other people."

Grade 9 student Lia Fabre-Dimsdale won the competition, but you'd hardly know it from her humble demeanour.

"It's a useful skill to have," she said about graphic design. "You can do a lot with it."

The biggest challenge for her was arranging the hefty amount of text on the inside spread.

She enjoyed the trip and recommends other students take part in the annual skills competition in the future.

"It's really fun," she said. "You meet a lot of really cool people and find where your limits are."

Two other students from TSS went: Ethan Moreau-Betsaka, who came third, and William Alger.

While in the big city, the group was partial to Italian Sodas from Javaroma Gourmet Coffee.

They liked the whole experience, especially shopping in Yellowknife.

Fabre-Dimsdale will now be preparing for the national competition in late May in Saskatoon.

"All I know is that it's going to be really, really, really hard," she said. "I really have to practice before then."

Teacher Nathalie Lavoie had high praise for Fabre-Dimsdale.

She teaches visual arts and called Fabre-Dimsdale's drawing abilities astonishing.

"I'm not just saying that," said Lavoie. "If I look at her drawing skills, she's probably the most talented student we've had in visual arts (in the 13 years) I've been here."

The competitions are judged and run by accomplished graphic designers, so it's an opportunity for students to learn from professionals and compete in a work-like environment with a strict deadline.

"It's one step in that door towards a career," said Lavoie.

She thinks Fabre-Dimsdale needs to nail down technical details of the computer programs before nationals.

"(I want it) to become a habit before she gets to nationals, so that at nationals she can concentrate on her design," said Lavoie.

She was proud of all of her students who took part in the competition.

"Even if they did not all bring medals, I think a chance to participate at such an event opens your eyes, cements goals and helps them towards those goals," said Lavoie.

"It's a very positive experience."

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