NORTHERN BOOKSHELF Great reads for all ages


The Ice Balloon: S. A. Andrée and the Heroic Age of Arctic Exploration Alec Wilkinson, Knopf Canada, 2012


In this grand and astonishing tale, Alec Wilkinson brings us the story of S. A. Andrée, the Swedish aeronaut who, in 1897, during the great age of Arctic endeavour, left to discover the North Pole by flying to it in a hydrogen balloon. In addition to portraying the period, The Ice Balloon gives us a brief history of the exploration of the northern polar regions, both myth and fact, including detailed versions of the two record- setting expeditions just prior to Andrée’s — one led by U.S. Army lieutenant Adolphus Greely from Ellesmere Island; the other by Fridtjof Nansen, the Norwegian explorer who initially sought to reach the pole by embedding his ship in the pack ice and drifting toward it with the current. Andrée’s flight and the journey, based on the expedition’s diaries and photographs, dramatically recovered 33 years after the balloon came down, along with Wilkinson’s research, provide a book filled with suspense and adventure, high ambition and courage.


Treasure Under the Tundra: Canada’s Arctic Diamonds L.D. Cross, Heritage House Publishing, 2011


It is said that the sparkle from Canadian diamonds mimics the awesome and seductive radiance of the northern lights. Yet until 1991, no one thought diamonds could even be found in Canada — no one except geologists Chuck Fipke and Stu Blusson who uncovered diamond-rich kimberlite in the Barrens at Point Lake in the Northwest Territories. Their spectacular discovery caused great excitement in international diamond circles and sparked the largest claim-staking rush in Canada since the 1896 Klondike gold rush. The two geologists sank their lives and savings into their belief that they’d find diamonds in the Barrens, and the story of their quest is a dramatic tale of perseverance in the face of immense odds.


Yellowknife Catholic Schools


From Far and Wide: A Complete History of Canada’s Arctic Sovereignty Peter Pigott, Dundurn Press Ltd., 2011


Is Canada’s North a state of mind or simply the lands and waters above the 60th parallel? In searching for the ill-fated Franklin Expedition in the 19th century, Britain’s Royal Navy mapped and charted most of the Arctic Archipelago. In 1874, then Canadian Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie agreed to take up sovereignty of all the Arctic to keep the United States and Tsarist Russia out. But there wasn’t much need to send police or military expeditions to the North. Not only was there little tribal warfare between the Inuit or First Nations but there were few white settlers to protect and the “forts” were mainly trading posts. From Far and Wide recounts exclusively the historic activities of the Canadian military in Canada’s North in the early 20th century.


Where Learning Lights the Spirit! Où l’apprentissage refléte l’esprit! Yedài Nezį T’à Hoghàgoetǫ


École St. Joseph School École St. Patrick Weledeh Catholic School High School


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Grades K–8 French Immersion English/French Immersion Ph: (867) 873-4888


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Grades K–8 English


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Yellowknife, NT X1A 2R2 Yellowknife, NT X1A 2P2 Our district provides a strong, moral, ethical environment


for our students. We encourage a loving, Christian perspective which supports Catholic principles and thought.


Central Services Office: Claudia Parker, Superintendent Box 1830 5124–49th Street, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2P4 Ph: (867) 766-7400 Fax: (867) 766-7401


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March/April 2012 above & beyond 51


Celebrating 60 Years of Catholic Education


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