Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to recognize some hardworking constituents of my riding. Four of them were among the 21 employees of Yellowknife Education District No. 1 who were recognized this past Saturday by their employer and their elected board of trustees and their peers for their long service to the District. Two are part of the 16 YK 1 staff who will be receiving the same recognition tomorrow for five years of excellent service to the District. I would like to tell you a bit about each of these individuals.

Mrs. Pirjo Vanonen has been with YK 1 for 25 years and is today as bright a light in the school as she was when she first started. She is appreciated by teachers and students alike and was a fixture at J.H. Sissons School for many years, only recently transferring to William MacDonald School where she continues to positively impact students as an educational assistant.

Christeen Hanuschuk has 15 years of service with YK 1. She is currently teaching Grade 1 at Range Lake North School. We are lucky to have such an experienced teacher in handling students who are just embarking on their years of schooling.

Wendy Reese-Wile is another accomplished teacher, a neighbour of mine in Frame Lake. Wendy has been with the district for the last 10 years. She is at Mildred Hall School working as a guidance counsellor with students there.

Mike Hanuschuk, yes, he and Christeen are connected. Mike has been with YK 1 for 10 years and is currently teaching a Grade 3/4 split class at Range Lake North School. Mike has previous teaching experience at Aurora College Yellowknife Campus, working with adult learners.

The two YK 1 staff who are residents in Frame Lake who will be receiving recognition tomorrow for five years of excellent service are Cathy Modeste-Short, who works at Mildred Hall School as an

educational assistant. Cathy provides invaluable help in the classroom. There are many days when, without Cathy, staff wouldn’t be able to keep it all together. Last but not least is Steve Elms who works at Range Lake North School as a program support teacher. Steve is another YK 1 staffer who gives invaluable assistance to both teachers and students.

I want to offer my congratulations to all of these wonderful and deserving people and my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of them for the work they do. They do work with our most precious resource -- our children -- day in and day out. Thank you, Mr. Speaker