Pilot program at Arviat high school boosts student attendance, emotional stability

The high school in Arviat, Nunavut, has found a way to boost student attendance and quell fights with a new pilot program.

The program was developed by Romeo Fournier, the school's principal, and a team of Inuit and non-Inuit staff. It's called the ESTEEM program, which stands for empowering students through elders, education and mentorship.

"Instead of assuming that our students should show up to school, we wanted to change the [focus] to why they should show up to school and moreover what is it we're offering them while they're here," Fourniersaid.

The program is an umbrella for a few changes they've made over the last school year.

Starting this year, grade nine students entering John Arnalukjuak School were assigned a homeroom class with two teachers that they will stick with throughout their high school career.

Homerooms incorporate students from all grades as a way to ensure continuity if there's teacher turnover, Fournier said, the more senior students can "remember how things have been done in the previous year, so there's a chance for the teachers to be briefed in an informal way and build those relationships with their students."

Keeping the same group of kids together is a way to help create stability, Fournier said.

Last year, the school started a week of on the land activities called P.A.C.K. week, because the school's mascot is a wolf. P.A.C.K. stands for promotion and acquisition of culture and knowledge.

This year, the students spent the day on the land with their homeroom class. It was a chance to see their classmates in another light, Fournier said.

They hunted ptarmigan, caribou and went fishing with elders.

Living room space in the school

One of the biggest components of the program is the Pilimmaksarniq centre, which Fournier says is like a living room space in the school.

One of the classrooms has been turned into an alternative space for personal growthwith donations from the community. It has a TV with cable and other unique features, Fournier said.

During class time, there are two school staff supervisingthe space and it is open to Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Students can bring a friend orsibling to hang out in the space as well.

"It gives students a chance, even during the day, if they're feeling anxiety, if they're feeling like they need a quiet place to work, or get caught up on something, that space allows them the opportunity to engage in something different from the regular classroom," Fournier said.

Fournier said the program is only beginning, but staff arealready happy with the results. He said anecdotal reports have found some non-attending students have started to come back to school.

"We've had no fights, no physical altercations this year, the emotional stability and wellbeing of both students and staff has been very stabilizing this year," Fournier said.

He said he hopes to find funding to continue expanding the program.