KUGLUKTUK HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION A not for profit organization A stay at school organization A membership of over 100 students A major source of opportunities The largest youth employer in Kugluktuk The KHSAA is a not for profit, stay in school organization that uses sport and recreation opportunities as an incentives for attending school, staying in school, and making healthy lifestyle choices. Currently our membership is over 100 students. Through our vast variety of fundraisers, we can provide the youth in Kugluktuk with major sources of opportunity, such as sport and employment. Today, we are the largest youth employer in Kugluktuk. WHY? To deal with: Drop out rate Substance abuse Low parental support Low physical and mental fitness To a large degree, the formal education system in Nunavut does not have the capacity or organizational structure in place to effectively deal with a number of interrelated factors affecting high school student life; a high drop out rate, substance abuse, low parental support, and low physical and mental fitness. The KHSAA is in place in Kugluktuk to bridge this gap and actually affect the underlying issues causing fundamental educational dysfunction. WHAT IS OUR MISSION? To promote sport To enhance opportunities and lifestyle To promote team building To enrich academics through extra-curricular activities To provide continuity and stability To promote and create healthy lifestyle choices To provide youth employment and job training opportunities Kugluktuk is a community of 1300 people. Half of the community is under the ago of 20. We have many talented athletes who for various reasons were dropping out of school, turning to drugs and alcohol and making other unhealthy lifestyle choices. It was decided that as community members, as teachers, and as coaches, we had an obligation to work towards providing students with as many opportunities as possible towards their future. The mission of the KHSAA was developed in light of this. KHSAA Created in 2001, the KHSAA has been hugely successful. This has been through: Giving and recognizing opportunities for success Creating a model for excellence with high but achievable standards Providing incentives for making positive choices Acknowledging and celebrating effort and success IMPLEMENTATION In order to have students attend school, they need to feel ownership in it Our coaches realized from their sports experiences, that identity creates pride Our teachers realized from their classes, that success leads to further success We created a model in which success was supported by the identity. OUR LOGO An identity was created and adopted by the students It was our Grizzlies name and logo The logo was the beginning of the entire program HOW DO WE ACHIEVE OUR DIRECTIVE Our association allows students to reach heights in and out of school. Our expectations are high but achievable. This creates a positive, goal oriented atmosphere. The students have pride in being a member of Team Grizzly. PEP RALLIES We fund raised enough money to buy our teams jerseys Every time we send a team out on sports trips, we hold Pep Rallies for them in our school. The whole school gets together in the Gym and cheer on whomever is leaving to play for Team Grizzly. We use our Pep Rallies as a way to develop pride in our athletes, and in our general student body. OPPORTUNITIES Students earn opportunities: by maintaining a minimum school attendance of 80% or more by maintaining a 4 out of 5 on their performance logs. The performance logs, rate their effort and behaviour rather than their academic ability. by living a healthy lifestyle and being positive members in the community The KHSAA creates incentives for youth to lead productive and healthy lifestyles in their community. Any Kugluktuk High School Student is allowed to become a member of the KHSAA and participate in supported activities. These activities are popular and sought after. It was decided that we would set high but achievable standards for all our KHSAA members. By providing these opportunities it would mean that there is a bigger responsibility for all our KHSAA members. Our members must meet the basic requirements in order to maintain membership status. WHAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES? The opportunities are diverse. We have sent students on exchange trips, sponsored functions such as graduations, funded many sports activities at both the regional and territorial level, held special functions such as athletic banquets for our members, paid for training clinics and coaching and refereeing certifications, sent members to tournaments including Arctic Winter Games, Super Soccer, Spike It and sent athletes to play for Junior teams in southern Canada. STUDENT EXCHANGE TRIPS In the past we have organized successful Student Exchange Trips. These trips give our members a chance to view and understand the different types of cultures and ways of life, other than their own. So far we have had 4 different exchange trips, each being very successful: One to Saskatoon, One to Calgary, One to Mexico and One to Kerrobert. MEMBER PRIVILEGES In the past we have held contest during the last month of school before summer break. We call it the Drive for the Big Five. The contest is used to keep students in school during the spring term, which tends to be a time when we lose most of our students; the contest gave them a big opportunity to win some big prizes. We have also held monthly attendance awards through the duration of the school year. Prizes include a Laptop, a PSP, a portable DVD Player, i-Pod, sports equipment, clothing and shoes. ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET We give out many awards including: Healthy Lifestyle Athlete of the Year Highest Attendance Most Improved Person Grizzly Award The Grizzly Banquet is a great way to end the school and sport season. It's an exciting night for all players, coaches and proud parents. WE HAVE CONTINUED OUR DEVELOPMENT OF EXCELLENT SPORTS PROGRAMS BY COMMITTING FUNDS TO ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS EDUCATING COACHES We have held a few coaching clinics for a variety of sports, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse etc. Everyone from teachers, community members, to athletes have attended these clinics in hope to coach or learn to better play the sports. NATIONAL EXPOSURE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, SCHOOL AND ATHLETES Invitation to speak at the Canadian Centre For Ethics in Sports 2003 Symposium on The Sport We Want. Sponsored trip to the World Lacrosse Cup in Baltimore by the American Indian legal Association. Carlton University newspaper report on lacrosse in Nunavut. The National report on the impact of the KHSAA. Individual talents recognized by national level coaches. Recipient of the Nunavut Trade Show 2003 Youth Business Award. Recipient of the Business Development Bank of Canada's Youth Entrepreneur Award. ESPN Story on the grizzlies and life in the north for students and athletes. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAST YEAR 2002 Arctic Winter Games Greenland U20 Girls Volleyball Grizzly Den Arcade opened Featured on CBC “The National” Grizzly Girls Volleyball “Spike It” Championship 2003 Lacrosse U16 Nationals 5 Athletes sent to Baltimore for U19 World Cup Grad trip to Mexico 2004 Five Grizzly Graduates travel to Winnipeg Two athletes sent to Philadelphia for Elite Lacrosse Soccer U16 Girls and U16 Girls Regional Champions Soccer U14 Boys regional Champions Basketball Territorial Participants U14 and U20 Girls “Spike It” participants Badminton Territorials participant U19 Lacrosse Nationals participant Hired three full time employees U20 Girls Volleyball Territorial Champions U20 Gils Volleyball  and individual athletes to Arctic Winter Games Opened Pizza Den 2005 U13 Boys Soccer Gold at Territorials U15 Soccer Boys and Girls Silver at Regionals Girls Basketball Silver medal and Most Sportsmanlike Team award at “Cager” 2008 Girls Volleyball-Silver Boys Volleyball- Bronze U14-Girls Soccer Regional Champions U14 & U16-Boys Soccer Regional's- Silver Arctic Winter Games- Table Tennis & Badminton participants 2009 U14 Boys Soccer Regional's- Silver U18 Boys Soccer Regional's- Gold U18 Boys Territorial's- Silver U18 Girls Regional- Silver U12 Girls Soccer- Super Soccer Champions Table Tennis- 5 gold medalist Girls Basketball- Cager participants HOW SUCCESSFUL HAS IT BEEN? 2000-2001 24% of our students had 80% overall attendance. 2001-2002 46% of our students had 80% overall attendance. 2002-2003 57% of our students attended school 80% of the time or more 2003-2004 61% of our students attended school 80% of the time or more WHERE WE ARE HEADED Our plans: Train more youth in management positions Continue our momentum Ensure that youth continue to have opportunities for success if we can continue the momentum that we are currently in, the youth in Kugluktuk, can certainly look forward to their future opportunities for success.