Mr. Speaker, earlier today I had an opportunity to address a dedicated, focused and energetic group of educators, the principals of the schools of the Northwest Territories.
They will be here in Yellowknife over the next several days in order to advance their knowledge in effective leadership practices during our annual principals' conference. This is the only conference of its kind in Canada where all principals working in one province or territory travel to come together to learn, network and improve their skills. This year's conference theme is "Gaining Momentum: Increasing Student Success".
And increasing student success is just what these professionals do best. It is the principal who is the pivotal role in implementing new programs in schools. They have the responsibility to take the initiatives outlined by the department and educational boards and turn them into reality within the individual schools. The onus is on them to ensure that "it happens".
In the Northwest Territories principals are also educators and community leaders. They have multi-faceted roles: teacher, coach, counsellor, caregiver and career advisor to name a few. We know this can be a challenge. Our educators play a pivotal role in the formation of our youth. In many cases these are the people who will work with our students and their families as they make the critical choices to prepare their child for a productive future.
Now more than ever, the future holds tremendous promise for our young people here in the Northwest Territories. Our educators are working now with the future leaders of tomorrow.
Please join me as I welcome these committed leaders to Yellowknife. By attending this conference they are demonstrating their commitment to lifelong learning. We look forward to the new ideas and knowledge that they will bring back to share in their home communities. Through building knowledge we will build a better tomorrow for our NWT students. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
-- Applause