Enrolment at White Bear School has increased by at least 20 students so far this year, and director Gordon Hum attributes the rise to increased confidence in the school and administration.

"I've talked with parents who were once dissatisfied with the school, but now many of them are coming back. We can't tell the registration numbers for a couple of weeks," said Hum. "There was a lack of confidence that problems were getting solved, but from now on, student discipline will be dealt with in a very firm manner.

"I have a very good track record and I have convinced many people that I am credible. My major theme for the year is Fun and Learning, and I think the kids will enjoy this year."

Hum is an administrator who has come to White Bear from Edmonton, Alta. His family still lives in Edmonton, and Hum has many contacts there, including contacts at Sports Central, an organization that helps needy communities and reserves in particular by providing sports equipment and uniforms.

Sports Central will be providing much equipment for White Bear School. New golf clubs will be provided to help develop a golf program at the school. The school will also receive cross country skis , and every student in the school will have a pair of skates for winter. Other extracurricular activities such as judo and wrestling are planned this year in addition to the traditional sports like volleyball and basketball.

There will be a big promotion of native culture, for example, in the two new language courses, Cree and Nakota. Also, the Gathering Strength arts program will promote culture through jewelry making, stained glass, leathercraft and carving in stone, wood and rock. Renowned carver Michael Littlechief will be helping with the project.

Hum said that other changes in the school have taken place to make the school a more enjoyable and educational experience for everyone.

"The revolutionary thing here that has not been done anywhere in Canada or the U.S. is our Club Ed and Club S," Hum said. "Club Ed is a points system with rewards for all staff in the school. The goal is to promote staff involvement in extracurricular activities. Club S works in a similar way but is for students. There are incentives for attending class and prizes that are mostly donated by retailers."

There are new staff at the school, but the major staffing change is that the administration has been streamlined. The post of principal has been replaced by an elementary and a secondary coordinator. The objective is to get the staff more involved directly with the students.

Upcoming events at White Bear School include a hot dog and corn boil for all the students to be held at the school on Friday, Sept. 15. The week after, the staff and students will travel to the gathering and pow wow at Fort Qu'Appelle.