One kindergarten instructor and one Grade 7-8 teacher have been hired to accommodate increased enrolment at two Yellowknife Education District No.1 schools.
At a board meeting on Tuesday superintendent Metro Huculak said 60 additional students will be attending J.H. Sissons for the upcoming school year and roughly 30 students have entered the middle school system.
“(Enrolment) is beyond what I expected so far,” said Huculak. “ I think it will tend to grow over the next few months so we are in really good standing for the next school year.”
Trustee Satish Garikaparthi asked why teachers were hired this early when enrolment is still expected to increase.
Huculak responded by citing the increase and reiterating the board was taking immediate action to tackle the growing need for teachers on the board.
Enrolment is also expected to increase at Sir John Franklin High School because of their specialty program for at-risk youth.
“It is paying dividends for students,” said Huculak. “Staff are showing students there is a light at the end of the tunnel even if they don't have the credits.”
Hiring of new staff is expected to cost $220,000 in expenditures for 2018-2019 fiscal year.
Field Trips approved for Sir John Franklin students
Trustees passed a unanimous vote granting permission for students at Sir John Franklin High School to travel internationally.
Class trips to China and Belize have been approved for the 2018-2019 school year. The motions, respectively made by trustees Rajiv Rawat and Jay Butler were passed.
Graduation classes take trips every other year said trustee Jay Butler who quipped a direct flight from Calgary will make it much easier for students to travel.
The trip to China will take place over the March Break where students will travel to Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The district is spending $140,000 to send 24 students on the trips.
Students will go to Belize in April of 2019, a change from traditionally going to Cancun.
Butler added the trip to Belize will be a good change for the students.
Teachers grasping technology
Tuesday's board meeting kicked-off with a presentation from William McDonald School principal Jeff Seabrook, Range Lake North School assistant principal Darryl Mitchener and Mildred Hall vice principal Ryan Nichols who highlighted the boards approach to adopting technology.
The teachers presented their personal stories from attending conferences geared toward creating technologically savvy classrooms.
Students in Yk1 have started to learn computer coding in Grade 4 and some students at Range Lake North School have been experimenting with 3-D printing.
Seabrook said the board is way ahead of what schools in the U.S. are doing when it comes to incorporating technology in the curriculum but he sees room to expand.
“If we're open as administrators to our staffs working together we're far better off,” said Seabrook. “We have done a phenomenal job as a district with our technology, now it's how do we (advance).”