Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That will be a tough act to follow there. I, too, would like to stand before the House and recognize and appreciate all the work that’s been going on in the education area, specifically to the Department of Education on their new renewal strategy. We have some new staff in there that’s doing some really good work and I think we’ll see some good improvements in the rest of this Assembly as we move forward in the education system and deal with some of our challenges.
Specifically, I would like to thank all the hardworking staff at the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority as well as all the board members who make critical decisions into the education on how our dollars are being spent. I would also like to thank the District Education Authority for all of their support and hard work for families in the community of Inuvik, the Aboriginal student group that does a lot of work with the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. They do a lot of work. It is all volunteer-based. They brought a lot of good recommendations forward and are trying to put those into action. We also have a youth council in Inuvik at the school that does a lot of really great work, and the Beaver Volunteer Program, these volunteers come from all over the world. In fact, some of them actually make the effort to stay behind and are very big volunteers in the community, not just at the school.
I’d like to obviously recognize the teachers and the educators who spend a lot of time with our students who help build them, help build their character, give them life skills so that they can succeed in the future. Specifically, we have four educators in the school system in Inuvik that two of them I know were there when I started kindergarten. I would like to recognize those educators, and teachers and role models who contributed to me being here today. They are Mr. Shane Brewster, who is a coach and role model in the community and the region; Ms. Bella Kay, who preserves all the traditions, cultures and language; Mr. Heath Israel, who was a really big supporter of mine in junior high and helped me get that extra level of education; and also Mr. Ross McCallum, who also has served a long time in the community. These four are prime examples of strong educators, role models and coaches who have committed their whole time to the community of Inuvik and the people, the families and the students. I would like to thank them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.
