On the morning of April 22, Deborah Reid, the principal of Chief Sunrise Education Centre, placed a reminder on Facebook that the school can help people obtain a high school diploma if they are a few credits short.

By early that afternoon, she had already received four calls about the opportunity.

SA国际影视传媒淭here is a need,SA国际影视传媒� said the principal of the school on the Hay River Reserve.

Reid has been offering what she calls self-paced courses for mature students for about three years, beginning when she was a program support teacher.

In that time, 11 people have been assisted in obtaining a high school diploma.

SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 happy about that,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚t made a difference for a few people.SA国际影视传媒�

The mature students have been 18 years of age and over.

SA国际影视传媒淎 40-year-old graduated this year with me,SA国际影视传媒� Reid said. SA国际影视传媒淗e always wanted to get his Grade 12 and didnSA国际影视传媒檛 know how to do it.SA国际影视传媒�

The principal said she casts a wide net, mostly in KSA国际影视传媒檃tlodeeche but even beyond, to help people who might have left school prior to graduating.

SA国际影视传媒淪ometimes life gets in the way for people and they have to leave school and theySA国际影视传媒檙e close but not that close, not close enough,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淎nd they miss out on opportunity because that Grade 12 graduation diploma is like a piece of gold and itSA国际影视传媒檚 often an entrance into other places. So theySA国际影视传媒檙e stuck and they have trouble trying to make a regular program work for them coming into a school with classes that are run from a certain time to a certain time, and they just are struggling with that.SA国际影视传媒�

However, her self-paced program allows students to do courses on their own time and at home. They can contact Chief Sunrise Education Centre if they need help.

SA国际影视传媒淢aybe theySA国际影视传媒檙e eager one week and they get a lot done and they send it to me,SA国际影视传媒� said Reid. SA国际影视传媒淭hen the next week something happens in their life and they canSA国际影视传媒檛 get at their work. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 not going to be a big problem, because theySA国际影视传媒檒l just start where they left off.SA国际影视传媒�

How long it takes to complete the courses is up to the students.

SA国际影视传媒淪o doing these self-paced courses sounds good, but itSA国际影视传媒檚 actually quite difficult in some ways because you donSA国际影视传媒檛 have other colleagues in your class that you can talk to and brainstorm with,SA国际影视传媒� said Reid. SA国际影视传媒淪o itSA国际影视传媒檚 very much like the old correspondence courses used to be.SA国际影视传媒�

Reid has a masterSA国际影视传媒檚 degree related to working with early school dropouts, focusing mainly on Inuit youth.

SA国际影视传媒淪o ISA国际影视传媒檝e done some work in that area,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

And she said that the NWT doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 have a great record of people finishing high school.

The reason Reid began offering the self-paced courses goes back to her own family.

SA国际影视传媒淚 kind of started this idea because my brother only needed one course to graduate, and he never graduated,SA国际影视传媒� she said, noting that her parents had pictures of their five children hanging on the wall, all in graduation gowns, except for that brother.

SA国际影视传媒淗e always felt bad about that. I always felt bad about that for him, too,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚t always kind of pulled on my heartstrings. So if ISA国际影视传媒檓 in a position to help somebody graduate, ISA国际影视传媒檓 going to help them.SA国际影视传媒�