Chinese New Year & PD Week

Ox Tail.

Inuujaq School staff assembled in the Home Ec Room for an afternoon get together on Friday, November 7.  We were celebrating the end of the school week, the beginning of Professional Development (PD) Week, and Chinese New Year (CNY).  (The actual day for CNY was January 29, but that was a Sunday).

CNY “marks the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar” and is “also known as the Spring Festival”.  This year, 2025, is the year of the Snake.  A person with a snake zodiac is described as “mysterious, determined, wise, and charismatic.”  In case you’re wondering, my Chinese zodiac sign is not a snake.

The teachers from China & Jamaica prepared a potluck for staff.  Some of the menu items were jerk chicken, curry chicken, ox tail, fried dumplings, potato salad, and rice.  An Elder blessed the food and then everyone lined up with plates & cutlery.  The food was delicious.

PD Week in Nunavut is where teachers do professional development to expand & improve their knowledge & skills teaching pedagogy.  This can be done through online courses, workshops, conventions, & collaborations.  Students enjoy a free week off school.  All communities except for Rankin Inlet hold their PD Week in mid-February.  Rankin Inlet’s PD Week is in October.

I travelled to Iqaluit to complete a course in educational leadership.  It’s one of several courses attached to a leadership program designed for educators wanting to be administrators in Nunavut.  Completing the program is required to becoming a school principal.  Teachers & administrators from other schools were present.

The course took place in a small conference room at the Frobisher Inn, and it was also the hotel where all the participates stayed.  We would find out later in the week how important that was.  There were two instructors and around 14 participants including myself.  Classes began in the morning and ended in the afternoon.  They consisted of presentations, video clips, group discussions, and reading articles.  We were required to complete written assignments and a project.  The hotel was hired as caterer, providing breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks.  The quality of food was pretty good.  I did stop by Yummy Shawarma twice during the week for dinner.

A blizzard roared through Iqaluit on February 12, bringing the town to a standstill.  We were able to continue the course in the morning, but the instructors had to end early in the afternoon because the power grid became affected.  The hotel & surrounding neighbourhood experienced rolling blackouts.  The instructors gave us permission to return to our hotel rooms to work on assignments.  I took a few photos & videos of the blizzard from my room window.  I was able to get some work done despite the lights coming on & turning off at random times.  It made me think of a power plant employee flicking a switch on & off as a prank.  The blizzard eventually passed, and the electricity stayed on.

The last day of the course was Thursday, February 13.  Everyone presented their projects in small groups.  My project was about setting up a skidoo engine & body repair course at my school for middle & high school students.  A course like this is needed in all northern communities.  The course was finished at lunch time.  The instructors thanked everyone for their participation and asked them to fill out a feedback form.  We then took a group photo.  We were then dismissed.  Everyone bid each other farewell and to stay in touch.

Overall, it was a good course.  I learned a lot and made new connections.

I spent the last day of PD Week in Iqaluit doing professional reading, exploring the town, and shopping for supplies.

Inuksuk High School.

Shawarma plate.

The town has grown & changed in the last 13 years.  New buildings have been added, and old ones have been renovated.  I walked around town, photographing landmarks and points of interest.  I walked by Inuksuk High School, the place where my Nunavut teaching career started in 2012.  It’s hard to believe how much time has passed since.  I feel like a veteran teacher.  I bought & enjoyed a shawarma plate for dinner.

I returned to Arctic Bay on February 15.  The Canadian North turboprop plane approached the airport from the north and flew over the community.  I was able to take a few good photos of the town before we landed.

Arctic Bay. February 15, 2025.

Stage 2 Marksmanship (2025)

The 2025 marksmanship team of 3045 Army Cadet Corps participated in the Stage 2 Postal Shoot competition on January 26.  This competition would determine if they would advance to Stage 3, the regional championship.

Competition targets are mailed to participating corps & squadrons.  The targets need to be used and mailed back to the Regional Cadet Support Unit (RCSU) before the assigned deadline.  Officers at RCSU review the targets, score them, organize them according to areas, and then determine which teams advance to Stage 3.  3045 is in the Arctic Zone.

The marksmanship team & I assembled in the gym in the afternoon.  We set everything up and the cadets spent several relays practicing & zeroing in their rifles.  The five cadets then had a 10-minute break.

Cadets were required to shoot four competition target papers: two in the prone position and two while standing.  It didn’t matter in which order.  The relays lasted 30 minutes each because the cadets shot two competition papers at the same time.  I encouraged the cadets to take their time, especially when shooting the standing targets.  Shooting while standing is more challenging than prone because you must rely on your arms & muscles to keep the air rifle steady.  Breathing control is also important

We were allowed to review the target papers but not mark them.  The cadets looked over their results carefully before I placed the papers in a sealed envelope.  I congratulated the team for completing Stage 2 and hoped they scored enough points to advance to Stage 3 in Winnipeg.

The results of Stage 2 will be published some time next month.  For now, it’s the waiting game.

Here Comes 2025

Picture Source: iStock. ThinkNeo.

I spent Christmas down south with family and friends.  The weather was warmer, and the noise was louder.  (Vehicles, planes, helicopters, sirens, etc).  A downside to living in a city, I guess.  I used the time to complete medical appointments, and buy supplies for school, cadets, & myself.  I shipped the items Canadian North Cargo.  My brief vacation came & went, and I returned to Arctic Bay on December 31.  I was glad to be back before the end of 2024 because I could observe & document the community’s New Years Eve & Day celebrations for the third time.

I previously watched and photographed the people of Arctic Bay celebrating the new year from the top of a hill behind the centre of town.  I decided to return to the same spot but armed with the school’s Canon XA20 camcorder.  I tried last year to film the vehicle parade with my compact digital camera, but the bitter cold drained the battery, forcing me to rely on pictures.  I hoped the camcorder’s battery was longer lasting.

Experience taught me to dress warmly.  I put on as many layers as I could because I would be sitting up there for quite some time.  And the weather gets pretty cold at the end of December.  I packed my camera gear and two flashlights into a large backpack and fired up my skidoo.  I let the machine warm up for several minutes and then drove towards the centre of town.  It was pitch- black outside except for streetlights and house lights.

I drove behind the Co-op store and up the slope between two tall hills but didn’t get very far.  There wasn’t enough snow on the ground, and I didn’t want the skidoo track to get ripped up by rocks.  I walked the rest of the way.  I got to the spot earlier than expected.  The time was 11:30pm.  The walk up was slow, and I stopped a few times to catch my breath, but I guess I’m more physically fit than I think.  I took a few photos of Arctic Bay while waiting for the clock to strike midnight.  The temperature was cold and there was some wind.

The clock struck midnight and new year arrived.  “Happy New Year!” I proclaimed to myself.  I then turned on the camcorder and began filming the outdoor celebrations.  People exited the community hall and their homes and watched fireworks shooting into the sky in town & out on the ice.  People got into their vehicles, drove onto the ice, and proceeded south towards Uluksan Point.  Car & truck horns honked loudly, and skidoo drivers revved their engines in celebration of the arrival of 2025.  Uluksan Point is the starting point of the annual vehicle parade.

The wind started to pick up where I was sitting, forcing me to put my hood up.  I had originally planned to set the camcorder on the ground on a small tripod and just press record, but I could no longer risk it due to the wind.  I was sitting on a narrow outcrop with short and steep cliffs on either side.  The wind could push the camcorder over the side, and I’d lose it & the video card.  I did my best to hold the camcorder & tripod steadily while wearing thin gloves.  I should have brought a mat to sit on.

The vehicle parade began at about 12:20am.  Fireworks shot into the sky from Uluksan Point as a very long snake of skidoos, atvs, cars, and & trucks emerged from the corner and began driving in an S pattern on the ice.  Skidoos led the way.  There must have been 100 vehicles and more in the column.  It was pitch black out there.  All vehicles had their high beams on.  It’s a good thing the ice is really thick on January 1, because a vehicle going through the ice at this time in the season would be disastrous.  The long column of lights slowly advanced towards Arctic Bay.  It took drivers 16 minutes to reach the shoreline.  They did a loop around and then parked in a long line in front of the breakwater pier and Northern Store.

More fireworks were launched into the night sky from the long line of vehicles.  I saw people walking between the vehicles as small bright explosions lit up the night sky above them.  I braved the bitter cold and continued filming.

The skidoos drove off the ice first and continued the vehicle parade through town.  Skidoo engines revved, and car & truck horns honked in celebration.  More fireworks were launched in the community.  The skidoos drove back onto the ice and assembled in a line far out in the bay.  Then they drove towards the gas station.  Cars, trucks, and atvs remained in town.

The time was 1:30am at this point and I made the decision to return home.  I had been up on the hill for 2 hours, my fingers were cold & numb, and the wind was picking up.  I didn’t want to get frostbite.  I packed the camcorder and everything I brought into my backpack and began the slow trek down the hill.  I found my skidoo in the darkness and got it started.  I let it warm up for a few minutes and then drove slowly towards the nearest road.  I drove a little faster once on the road and made it safely home.  I made myself a large cup of hot chocolate.

I hope 2025 will be a good year.  There are many good things to hope for.  A completely free & independent Ukraine is the main one for me.  Hopefully the people of Syria can look towards a better life now that the dictator has been kicked out.  I just hope the lunatic returning to the White House won’t screw things up badly like he did the last time he was in charge.  The situation in the Middle East is still very volatile.  Hopefully something can be worked out to bring an end to the ongoing conflict.  Only time will tell.

I’ve recorded quite a bit of footage of the New Year’s Day celebrations so it’s going to take me some time to go through it all and put together a few videos.  In the meantime, Happy New Year everyone!

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Update: Sorry for the very long wait, but the New Year’s Day videos are finally done!  You can view them on my YouTube channel.  Click below on the following links:

New Year’s Day In Arctic Bay (2025) – Part 1

New Year’s Day In Arctic Bay (2025) – Part 2 – X2 Version

New Year’s Day In Arctic Bay (2025) – Part 2 – X5 Version

New Year’s Day In Arctic Bay (2025) – Part 3

New Year’s Day In Arctic Bay (2025) – Part 4

Christmas 2024

The staff Christmas dinner was held on the evening of December 13.  The school hired the local hotel to cater the event.  Several staff members & I spent time after school turning the gym into a dining hall.  Tables & chairs were set up for guests and hotel staff, a Christmas tree was placed at the end of the gym next to the speaker system, and several decorations were put up on walls.  The tables were covered in white cloths.

All school staff and local district education authority (DEA) members were invited to the event.  They were allowed to bring guests.

Everyone began arriving at 5:30pm wearing casual clothing.  I wore my formal work attire.  The caterers also arrived and placed all the food & desserts on the line of tables set aside for them.  The event began at 6:00pm with introductory speeches from the principal and head of the DEA.  An Elder blessed the food and people proceeded to line up to be served food.  Someone plugged their iPhone into the speaker system and played Christmas-themed music.  I hung back and took photos, waiting for the line to get shorter.  There was plenty of food.  I filled my plate with roast beef, turkey, ham, stuffing, green peas, and carrots.  I’m glad I fasted the entire day.  I chose to skip dessert.

The dinner moved on to the Secret Santa game.  Participants had brought their final gifts and placed them under the Christmas tree before the start of the event.  Now the time had come to guess who their Secret Santas were.  Participants had 3 chances to guess.  If they guessed correctly, their Secret Santa would come up and present their final gift.  If they were unsuccessful, their Secret Santa would reveal their identity and still present their final gift.  It’s a win-win.

The second game played was like musical chairs.  Small candy canes were placed on the tables that were used to serve food, and participants walked around the tables while Christmas music played.  When the music was cut, they had to quickly grab a candy cane.  The last person who didn’t was eliminated.  The last person standing out of the entire group won a prize.

Several staff members & I cleaned the gym and put everything away at the end of the dinner.  The event lasted 2 hours and everyone went home happy.

Students & teachers of Inuujaq School began preparing for the annual Christmas Concert in late November.  They made decorations, selected their performance skits, and practiced them in their classrooms.  The Events Committee prepared the concert programs, recruited two high school students to be the emcees, and reserved the local community hall for three days in mid-December to get everything ready.  My drummers assisted me in transporting the instruments & equipment to the community hall from the school.  I was glad one of Frank’s trucks was available.

The dress rehearsal took place on the afternoon of December 16.  The entire student body made their way to the hall after lunch.  We went through the entire program.  Each class went on stage and practiced their performance to the delight of everyone.  The emcees also practiced introducing and congratulating each class.  My drummers & I performed our three group pieces, leaving the solos for the actual concert.  Everyone was dismissed from the hall at the end of rehearsal.

The Christmas Concert occurred in the evening the follow day.  Students & teachers spent the regular school day practicing their performance routines one last time.  High School students finished decorating the community hall.  Doors opened at 6:30pm and people immediately entered the building dressed in their best clothing.  There was plenty of excitement in the air.  The hall was packed with people when the concert began at 7:00pm.

The 2 high school emcees welcomed everyone and introduced the first performance.  Preschool opened the concert with the song We Wish You A Merry Christmas.  They sang it in Inuktitut & English.  Kindergarten was next with a skit involving Christmas games.  Grade 1 sang a bilingual version of Silent Night.  Grade 2 did a Jingle Bells Dance followed by another dance performance by Grade 3.  Grade 4 continued the dancing theme with their own performance.  Grade 5 sang We Are The World.  Grade 6 did a dance where one student was dressed as Santa Claus.  Grades 7 & 8 also did dance performances. 

I summoned high school drummers into the lobby of the community hall during the Grade 7 performance to set up our drums.  We had to be ready to move everything as soon as Grade 8 finished their set.  You don’t want to keep the audience waiting. 

A few people volunteered to help us move our instruments & equipment onto the stage.  A lot of kids crowded in front of the stage, eager to see our performance.  We quickly set everything up behind the closed curtain.  I gave one last encouraging speech to my drummers and told them not to worry.  Everything will be fine.  We will survive.  I signalled the emcees to proceed with our introduction.  They said a few words and left the stage.  The curtains parted and we were greeted by many excited faces looking at us.  At least, I think that’s what I saw.  The stage lights shined brightly on our faces.  I raised my sticks and clicked 4 times.  The first piece began.

We played three pieces as a drum line.  Each one was about a minute long.  The audience applauded each performance.  A few drummers & I performed short solos.  And just like that, our act came to an end.  We were on stage for 6 minutes, but it felt much shorter.  My drummers & I breathed huge sighs of relief after the curtains closed.  We survived with our heads held high.

We moved our drums & equipment off the stage to make way for Inuujaq School staff to finish off the concert.  The staff did a Christmas themed skit and then wished everyone a Merry Christmas and happy new year.

My drummers & I waited for the audience to leave the community hall so it would be easier to move all our gear onto the truck I borrowed from Frank.  Two drummers came with me to the school to put everything back in the classroom.  I then returned the truck to Frank.

December 18 was the last day of school before Christmas break.  Student & teachers went down to the gym in the morning for 30 minutes of carolling in Inuktitut & English.  I projected the lyrics on the walls while a teacher led the students & teachers in singing some classic Christmas carols.

My picture with Santa.

Santa visited Inuujaq School after lunch to give gifts to students & take photos with them.  A corner in the main hallway was decorated with a Christmas tree, big chair, and colourful backdrop.  Classes were called to this area to receive their gifts and then pose for pictures with Santa.  I was one of the photographers.  Parents & Guardians also took photos.  Classes from kindergarten to Grade 9 received gifts from Santa.  High school students received Co-op gift cards from the main office.  Classes were dismissed right after their time with Santa.  Staff posed for a group photo with Santa before they too were dismissed for Christmas break.  We wished each other a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Hard to believe 2024 is already coming to a close.  But that’s the way it is.   

See you all in 2025!

Parents Night Parade (December 2024)

3045 Army Cadet Corps held its second Parents Night Parade of the 2024-2025 training year on December 11.  I began preparations the week before, purchasing snacks for reception, assembling the badges & awards, and printing programs. 

The cadets & I arrived at the school’s gym an hour early to set everything up.  The target papers I graded from the Stage 1 Marksmanship competition were displayed on a wall for parents, guardians, and visiting guests.  The reception table was at a far end corner of the gym, filled with snacks & beverages.  A row of chairs was placed along the gym’s backwall for cadets who needed to sit & rest during the awards section of the parade.  Once everything was ready, the cadets changed into their green dress uniforms.

The cadets formed up for roll call as people began coming inside and finding their seats.  The cadets were then dismissed to drink water & use the washroom for the last time before the start of the parade.  The Guest Reviewing Officers (GROs) arrived several minutes later.  I had originally recruited one GRO, a teacher at Inuujaq School, but as luck would have it, the Honourable MLA David Akeeagok was in town, and I convinced him to be the second GRO.  Akeeagok represents the Quttiktuq constituency that includes Arctic Bay, and I’ve met him a few times.

The parade began with the cadet flag party marching out and placing the Canadian & Cadet Program flags at the front of the parade square on both sides of the awards table.  Then they marched out of the gym and joined the cadet platoon waiting in the gym equipment room.  The cadet Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) marched out the platoon to the centre of the gym.  I then marched in with the GROs following behind me.  The GROs stood at the front and received the General Salute.  I stood to the right of them.  The CWO then escorted the GROs through the cadet ranks for inspection.  I did a brief welcome speech to the audience during inspection.  The cadets then did a March Past for everyone.

I invited the GROs to address the cadets & audience.  The teacher went first followed by David Akeeagok.  They spoke words of encouragement to the cadets and thanked the audience for supporting the army cadet corps.

Level 4 Marksman.

The parade continued with the awards section.  The GROs assisted me in handing out the badges & awards.  I started with marksmanship badges.  There are four marksmanship levels: Level 1 is the lowest & Level 4 is the highest.  Cadets achieve these levels by shooting grouping targets with varying levels of accuracy.  Level 4 cadets are known as Distinguished Marksmen.  One cadet was awarded Level 1, two cadets were awarded Level 2, two cadets were awarded Level 3, and one cadet was awarded Level 4.

I then briefly talked about the Stage 1 Marksmanship competition to the audience and then called out the five cadets who made the team and the two cadets chosen as backups.  They had their picture taken with the GROs & me. 

One of the Fall Biathlon winners.

I continued with announcing the winners of the Fall Biathlon competition in October.  The cadets already knew the winners, but this was the first time they were publicly recognized for their achievement.  Their prizes were military themed t-shirts.

The last part of the awards sections were promotions.  Two cadets were promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal, one cadet was promoted to Corporal, and one cadet was promoted to Master Corporal.

I did the Closing Remarks, thanking the GROs for volunteering their time to inspect the cadets & give out awards, the audience for attending & supporting the cadet corps, and the cadets for putting on a great show. 

The CWO led the cadets in the Advance In Review Order and General Salute.  I then marched out of the gym with the GROs following behind me.  The cadets were then dismissed, and the parade came to an end.

The cadets & I took a group photo in front of the Royal Regiment of Canada flag before I let them proceed to the reception table.  Reception lasted about 25 minutes.  The cadets assisted me in cleaning the gym and putting everything away.  I thanked the cadets one last time for a good job.  The CWO dismissed them for the remainder of the night.