Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today in my Member’s statement I’d like to talk about the idea of regional high schools.
Historically, we know that students from Lutselk’e, a small community, went to Fort Smith; students from Res went to Hay River; and many students from across the North went to Akaitcho Hall. I was not directly involved in any of these, but at the time it seemed like not a bad idea. However, as government changes and as ideas change, the idea of grade extensions in the small communities became the best practise, the wisdom of the day, and that was what was undertaken.
I think it is time to once again have a dialogue and talk to people about what is the best opportunity for a good, comprehensive high school education for students from small communities. We had the Western Arctic Leadership Program which was in Fort Smith for a number of years and is not available anymore, and that did see students from across the North going to Fort Smith and being involved in different programs there.
Schools in regional centres do have a wider course selection available. They have part-time employment opportunities which may not be available in smaller communities. They certainly have more opportunities for competition and honing schools in the area of competitive sports, and although there are downsides for high school students to be away from their home community, I think some of those things I just listed are some of the positive points.
The argument can be made that by taking some high school students out of the small communities that we would then be watering down the great extension programs for those who may not want to go to a regional centre, for those who would want to stay in their home community. I think that with the advent of so much on-line and distance learning, which the grade extensions must have already to rely upon, I think we could offer students the option of remaining in their community and continuing on with that program, but also allowing opportunities for students who would like to go to a regional centre to go to high school to do so.
A lot of good came from the attendance of students in regional centres in high school. Everything is relative. If you live in Hay River and come to Yellowknife, as my children all did for a portion of their high school, that broadens your horizons. So when you’re in a small community and you come to a regional centre like Hay River, that again broadens peoples’ horizons and I think that we did see a lot of lifelong relationships, a lot of lifelong friendships that were developed as a result of students getting together at that age.
By the time young people reach the age of high school…
Mr. Speaker, could I please seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement?
---Unanimous consent granted
By the time young people reach the age of high school, maybe it is an opportunity and it is time for them to spread their wings and experience some new things and perhaps living in a new community as long as – and I have to really stress this – there is safe, supervised and supported living accommodations for them in those regional centres.
So I for one would be in favour of having this dialogue on revisiting the idea of regional high schools. Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
