Łı̨́ı̨́dĺ̨ı̨́ı̨́ Kų́ę́ Elementary

Our Community of Łı̨́ı̨́dĺ̨ı̨́ı̨́ Kų́ę́ and our School

Líídlįį Kúę Elementary School (formerly Bompas Elementary) is a K-6 school located in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories with a student body of approximately 110 students, most of whom are of Dene or Metis descent.  Our staff consists of 6 classroom teachers, a Dene Zhati/Culture teacher, 2 support assistants, a school secretary and a custodian.

Our students follow the Alberta curriculum and enjoy extracurricular activities such as fiddle and guitar, soccer, track & field, and traditional games.  Each year our school sends a traditional games team to the Traditional Games Championships in Yellowknife.  This year our team finished 9^th out of 22 teams.

Our school holds two culture camps each year, one in the fall and one in the spring.  Students are boated across the Mackenzie River to the camp on the far shore.  There, they learn many things both wonderful and important to Dene tradition and culture such as the importance of the river, catching and cleaning fish, fire building, traditional cooking, and much more.

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Our Community

Fort Simpson, with a population of approximately 1200, is a village in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories.  It is located approximately 500 km southwest of Yellowknife on an island where the Mackenzie and Liard Rivers come together.  These rivers were traditional trade routes of the Hudson Bay Company and the local Dene people.  The Dene people are represented by the Líídlįį Kúę First Nations, while the Metis are represented Fort Simpson Metis Locale 52.  Both groups belong to the Dehcho First Nations.

Travel to the island requires an ice road during the winter and a ferry in warmer months.  People can also fly into the Fort Simpson Airport.

The main school board office for the Dehcho Region is located here.  Also available to people is a satellite of Aurora College, a health center, a recreation center with both a hockey and curling rink, a 9 hole golf course, and an indoor swimming pool.  The village is serviced by two stores with a pharmacy located in one.  An RCMP detachment polices the area.

Fort Simpson has a subarctic climate with long cold winters and short warm summers.  Average monthly temperatures range from -24°C in January to 17°C in July.  Throughout the winter months, spectacular views of the northern lights can be enjoyed.   Summer nights, however, offer vastly extended evening light.

Staff

Fort Simpson District Education Authority:

Julia Erasmus (Chair)

Raymond Michaud

Renalyn Pascua-Matte

Troy Bellefontaine

Bianca Gargan

Betty Hardisty

Eliza Jane Chalifoux

Delaney Vandell

Richenda Cli (Secretary)