A group of tech-savvy students will soon possess the skills to teach the teachers.
Called 'techsperts', the collective is made up of about 30 Yellowknife Catholic Schools (YCS) students eager to share their technical know-how and get a step-up in their chosen field.
Supported by the YCS school board and set up in a small room with Macbook Pro computers, a wealth of ideas and the willingness to get things done, YCS assistant superintendent Simone Gessler said the group of Grade 9 and 10 students are passionate about what they have signed up for.
"It gives them an opportunity to explore areas they are really excited about," said Gessler.
"They have a big to-do list, so now it's just about supporting them to get more involved."
Techsperts were sanctioned by the YCS school board last year. Since then, the group has become involved in a range of initiatives across the district.
For example, techsperts are working on a broadcast for Friday morning announcements, troubleshooting problems with Google software used by teachers and helping other students with technical issues on their digital projects.
Grade 10 student Aidan Currie has been a techspert since the beginning.
He said the group has one common goal: working collectively to create a more efficient environment for students and teachers.
"We're working on a lot of things and trying to get to new places," said Currie.
"It's a nice balance between trying to make the group bigger and also trying to do what we can with what we have ... It's a good chance to learn."
The group meets during 'flex classes', which YCS started to provide students with an opportunity to learn a skill not included in the current curriculum.
St. Patrick High School assistant principal Alicia Larade is a techspert faculty advisor.
"There is no other group in the district that has the same kind of longevity as the techsperts," she said.
"They are the only structured group of students that will be planning and implementing their ideas for the whole year.
"The first step was teaching them about software but now they've moved on to helping teachers troubleshoot problems.
"Now that they have a space, they've been better able to promote themselves and get more members."
While the tech-savvy teens are eager to see ideas through to the end, they only have three or four years to tinker before graduating.
Fortunately, the current techsperts are up for the recruiting challenge, said Grade 10 student Aidan Richardson.
"Throughout the years we will do more and more things – and people will see what we are doing and (hopefully) more students will want to join," he said.
"I see ourselves, once we get to Grade 12, teaching Grade 8 and 9 (students) more advanced concepts that we've picked up on in our experiences."