INUVIK
Three students from East Three Secondary School returned home from the Territorial Skills Competition bearing some bling.

East Three Secondary School student Karis DeKwant, left, took home a silver medal from the Territorial Skills Competition, in the baking category. Amy Badgley, right, won a gold medal for photography. Kristen Elias, who was absent from the photo, also won silver in hairstyling. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

Amy Badgley, a Grade 12 student, won gold in the photography division.

Karis DeKwant, a Grade 9 student at her first competition, won silver in baking after being edged out by one point.

Kristen Elias brought home silver in hairstyling.

Badgley, an avid photographer who operates a part-time photography business, said she was very pleased with the win.

"It was cool," she said, not showing much excitement, although she definitely looked satisfied. "I really want to go to nationals."

A scheduling conflict with her graduation ceremony is conflicting with that, but she is trying to find a solution to the problem.

All of the photos were taken the day of the competition in Yellowknife, Badgley explained.

"I took a bunch of photos and I wound up editing nine or 10," she said. "You could only submit five, so I had to go through them and pick which ones I wanted."

One of them was paint peeling off the side of the building, and it was an orangeish colour. "The reason I chose it was because it was Earth Day and the paint slowly peeling off reminded me of how the Earth is slowly deteriorating and no one really notices until it's too late."

She began experimenting with photography when she was "nine or 10," she said, quickly moving from an inexpensive model to a digital camera.

"I got a digital camera for Christmas when I was 12. Last year, when I won at the Arctic Image Festival, I bought a new camera and lens."

While she enjoys photography and has an obvious talent, Badgley said it "won't be a career."

"It'll just be a hobby after university," she said. "I find there isn't any money in it. Anyone can go out and buy a digital camera and take pictures. No one really calls a professional photographer anymore to take their photos as much as they used to."

DeKwant said she was a little disappointed with her finish in the baking category, but she's using it to motivate her for next year.

"I could have won with one more point, and I would have had it if I had baked the bread longer," she said. "I was pretty happy with how I got second, and I also competed against a student in Grade 12, and I'm only in Grade 9, so I was surprised I got that close to winning gold."

"I'm going to be doing it again next year, and I'll be looking for the gold medal," she added.

She baked shortbread cookies, French macaroons cookies, a bread and had to decorate a cake with fondant.

"I've been baking since I was six or seven. I was always helping my mom in the kitchen. I've always loved to bake."

DeKwant said she moved from working from prepared baking mixes to working from scratch fairly quickly.

Her best dish is her cupcakes, Badgley interjected.

"Try one and you'll know why," she said, her eyes almost glazing over as she spoke.

DeKwant blushed a little at that, but didn't argue the point.

She seemed fairly confident that she would win eventually, with potentially three more trips to the competition before she graduates from high school.

She said she is considering baking as a career, but also has a "couple of other options I'm looking at."

"It's definitely one of them," though.

Deb Reid, the principal of the school, said "we're really impressed with their performance at the territorial level."

"I think it indicates we're running quality programs at the school. We're very proud of them, and they've worked really hard."

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