Halloween - Part 1

Team Rabbit Mural.

Grade 2 Door.

I entered Inuujaq School in the early hours of October 31, much earlier than normal, because I wanted to take pictures of all the Halloween decorations.  I walked from the high school wing down to the elementary wing, photographing all the creative murals and door decorations.  I felt like I was walking through a museum exhibit.  The elementary and middle school classes spent a great deal of time decorating their doors with ghosts, bats, pumpkins, witches, skulls, and anything else that appeared scary.  It was difficult to choose which classroom had the best setup. 

            

My grade 12 students spent the last 15 minutes of their period decorating my door the day before.  They followed a more minimalist approach and the final result wasn't as detailed as the elementary classroom doors.

            

Grades 6 & 7 classroom doors.

The school day began like any other but the atmosphere was full of excitement.  The students had other things on their minds besides academics: Halloween activities after lunch, an evening of trick or treating, and the community costume contest in the evening.  In particular, my high school students were wondering what kind of costume I would be wearing for the spirit team assembly.  Back in September, I looked at all the male costumes on the Spirit of Halloween website and finally settled on an outfit after much thought.  Since this was my first Halloween in Arctic Bay, I decided to play it safe and not order something too scary.  When it comes to Halloween, I prefer to wear costumes with masks, but since this was a school event, I decided to leave my face exposed in case of an emergency.           

            

Since Halloween was the talk of the day, I didn't push too much academics during my two morning classes.  My social studies students did some work and watched a movie.  School was dismissed at noon as usual but lunch was extended by thirty minutes to give students extra time to get into their costumes.  My drummers and I would meet at the school at 1pm because we needed the extra time to set up the drums in the gym. 

            

For the first hour of lunch, I power walked home, had a quick snack, grabbed my costume, and walked back to school.  Upon arrival, I changed into my costume, a Bone Daddy Skeleton Tuxedo.  To complete the look, I also purchased skeleton gloves, a black top hat, a skeleton cross necklace, and a skull cane.  So, in essence, I changed out of my formal teacher clothing, only to change into formal Halloween clothing.  I . . . can't explain that one.

            

My drummers slowly trickled in after 1pm and were impressed by my costume.  They mostly liked the skull cane.  We ferried all the instruments and necessary equipment down to the gym and set up at the front.  Everything was ready to go before 1:30.  Teachers and students began arriving at the school at about ten minutes to 1:30.  The hallways were filled with people wearing an infinite variety of costumes.  Many were surprised to see me in costume and complimented how well I looked wearing it.  I did the same in return.    

            

My drummers practicing the day before.

My drummers and I had been reviewing our program intensively for the last two weeks of October, in the classroom and in the gym.  I wanted them to get used to the acoustics of the gym and to feel comfortable playing in front of a large audience.  We had practiced in the gym every two days, but, to be honest, on the day of the assembly, I was getting 'butterflies' in my stomach.  I always get that feeling before a public performance but the trick is to ignore the feeling and just go on with the show.  We stood outside the gym and waited for everyone to arrive.  Once the gym was full, I led my drummers to the front; the show had started.

            

I lent my digital camera to Bob the Hallway Monitor so he could film the entire performance.  Iga, the high school Inuktitut teacher, was the MC for the assembly.  She called me to the front to introduce the Inuujaq School Drumline.  I spoke in English and she translated.  I explained to the audience the three types of drums on display, (bass, snare, and quad), and how each of them sounded.  The drumline consisted of two bass drums, two snares, and one set of quads. 

            

The first piece we played was a warm up exercise I wrote several years ago when I was teaching at a summer cadet camp down south.  The drummers of 795 Iqaluit Air Squadron played it for their Annual Ceremonial Review in June 2012.  My current drummers played it quite well despite a moment in the middle where they lost count. 

            

The second and final piece we played was called "Zombie Squirrels", a level 1 drum piece by Cassidy Byars.  Despite being less than a minute long, the piece contains a challenging middle section where there are three separate rhythms playing at once.  Put together, this section sounds like one drummer playing a rock beat on a drum set.  For added guidance and safety, I conducted my drummers.  The resulting performance wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, but the audience loved it and that's all that mattered.  Once we were off to the side, I personally shook each of my drummers' hands and congratulated them for their first public performance.  I reassured them that even though mistakes were played, no one in the audience noticed them because we didn't draw attention to them.  As long as they started together, played together, and ended together, everything would be fine.

            

The assembly continued with the costume contest.  The ten spirit teams each paraded in the middle of gym, showing off their costumes, and being judged by a panel of elders.  There were a lot of great costumes on display, too many to list in this post.  The winning spirit team would be announced at the end of the day and members would received bags of candy.  While everyone filed out of gym, the drummers and I packed up all the instruments & equipment.  We waited until the gym was nearly empty before moving everything back to my classroom.  I say nearly because the kindergarten class stayed behind so that parents could photograph their children.

            

The remainder of the afternoon was devoted to a round robin of Halloween games.  The elementary and middle school teachers prepared a variety of games for students to enjoy.  High school students acted as guides between classes.  The haunted house down in the sports equipment room was the most popular attraction for the middle school students.

            

School was dismissed early at three so that parents and their children could get ready for trick or treating at five in the afternoon.  It would be night time by then.  With extra time to kill, I played badminton with two teachers in the gym.  Sean teaches grade 6 and runs the school's badminton program.  Dane teaches grade 4.  I got quite a workout playing one-on-one, running all over the place, trying to swat the shuttlecock.  I played until four.

To Be Continued . . .

Late October

Wednesday, October 16, was a day of excitement, nervousness, and maybe anxiety for teachers.  After students were dismissed for the day, teachers had to get ready for Parent-Teacher Interviews.  At these meetings, parents sit down with the teachers who instruct their children and hear what they're like in class and whether they're passing the course or not.  If teachers are having problems with students, they have to be ready to back up their allegations with evidence because no parent wants to hear that their child(ren) are failing and/or a nuisance in class.  Regardless, I still wanted to meet the parents of all of my students, a fact that I emphasized to my students before they were dismissed for the day.

            

To make the parents feel welcome, snacks, coffee, and tea were available in the staff room. Southern teachers have access to translators when talking to unilingual parents. The translators can be Inuit teachers or friends accompanying the parents.  Unfortunately, only a few parents came to see me.  Regardless, I welcomed them into my classroom, answered their questions, and showed them the midterm marks of their children.  At the end of the day, I felt like the meetings were a success and hoped to see more parents when report cards would be issued.

            

A similar Parents Night was held at Inuujaq School's gym on Wednesday, October 23rd, but this was organized by 3045 Army Cadet Corps.  Parents were invited to see the dress, drill, and deportment of their children on parade, as well as photograph them receiving awards for fitness and marksmanship. 

            

Cpt. Tad Nicol (left).
Cadet Sgt. Andrew Reid (right).

The Reviewing Officer for the parade was Captain Tad Nicol, the Area Cadet Officer (ACO) for RSCU Northwest - (RSCU - Regional Cadet Support Unit).  Based in Iqaluit, Cpt. Nicol is tasked with assisting all cadet corps & squadrons in Nunavut in any capacity.  The Guest Reviewing Officer was RCMP Constable Christa Maktaaq. 

            

Constable Christa Maktaaq inspecting the cadets.

March Past.

The parade followed a standard format, the main parts being: inspection by the reviewing officer(s), the march past, presentation of awards, speeches by the Reviewing Officer and Corps Commanding Officer, and the Advance in Review Order.  The only difference was the parade began with a prayer in Inuktitut.  I played a small part at the end of the parade by thanking parents for their attendance, Cpt. Nicol for coming to town to preside over the parade, and the cadets for putting on a good show.  A small reception was held after the parade's dismissal, featuring coffee, tea, cookies, and cupcakes.

            

With the end of October fast approaching, everyone was getting into the Halloween spirit.  By the end of the second last week, the kindergarten and elementary classroom doors were covered with Halloween decorations.  My drummers were vigorously practicing the music I had selected for them to play during the Halloween Spirit Team Assembly on October 31st.  This would be their first performance in front of the whole school.  There are ten spirit teams, each named after an animal found in the Arctic, and they include students from all grades.  I'm in charge of Team Rabbit.    

            

To get a sense of what the Spirit Team Committee had in mind for Halloween, I sat in on one of their meetings.  After much debate on what kind of activities to have, the committee crafted an interesting program, and my drummers would be the opening act.  No pressure.  When I told my drummers this, I could tell they were nervous, but I assured them that everything would be alright . . . provided that we kept practicing and rehearsing the music and visuals. 

            

Dividing the resources between
the 10 Spirit Teams.

At the Spirit Team Committee meeting, I successfully pitched an idea for a contest I witnessed at Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit.  When I was teaching there, the school engaged in a Christmas door decorating contest but the teams were only allowed to use assigned resources.  The Committee liked this idea and decided to hold a Halloween mural contest following the same restriction.  The winning team would be rewarded with candy.  Deciding what resources and how much each team would get fell on me and Iga, the high school Inuktitut teacher.  We spent some time after school going through the resource room selecting resources, such as, construction paper, finger paints, paper bags, googly eyes, and of course, very large pieces of mural paper. 

            

Bob the Hallway Monitor (Sens cap)
helps out Team Rabbit.

The mural contest took place on the last period of the day, on October 29.  Team Rabbit assembled in my classroom and got to work on creating a spooky Halloween mural.  I mostly pitched ideas, guidance, and maintained order.  A child's imagination is more powerful and creative than that of an adult.  By the end of the day, Team Rabbit's Halloween Mural had taken shape.  After dismissal, I stapled the mural to an empty wall space.  I walked along the hallways, inspecting the other murals; many of them were well done.
            

(My last name does not contain
brackets.  It's an inside joke.)

I did a good job of keeping it secret when I was teaching at Inuksuk High, but somehow, the students of Inuujaq School discovered my birthday.  Their suspicions were confirmed when it was announced to the entire school during morning announcements.  I received an applause from my Grade 10 Social Studies students and by the end of the day, my chalkboards were covered in birthday greetings.  Even one of the Inuit janitors played and sang an Inuktitut version of Happy Birthday (Nagliunirsiuttiarit) on the guitar for me after school.  How very thoughtful.  At the end of the day, I pondered on whether my drummers & I would receive the same treatment at the Halloween Assembly.             

'Bright Lights' - October 23, 2013

Snowfall & Bonfire

Arctic Bay finally received the first snowfall of the 2013-14 winter season on Saturday, October 12, the day after high school graduation.  A nice way to welcome the long Thanksgiving Day weekend.  Snow had sporadically fallen earlier in the month but it melted in just a few hours.  This time, however, the snow was here to stay.  It was strange, as well as exciting, to wake up to the sight of falling white, when just the day before, the ground was still exposed.  Now it was covered by a thick layer of snow with more falling from the sky.  Snow must have been falling all night.  The bay appeared to be fully frozen in ice but that wasn't the case upon closer inspection.  There were still many pockets of exposed water.

            

Even though it was Saturday and a long weekend, I had plenty of work to do at school.  I broke out my large and tough winter boots and Canada Goose parka for the slow walk towards the school.  I frequently stopped to take pictures of my surroundings.  A lot of children were outside playing in the snow, building forts, having snowball fights, and sliding down hills.  Adults were mostly walking and driving around, enjoying the sudden change of weather.  Skidoo owners looked the happiest.  I spent quite some time correcting school work and preparing lessons so that I would have more of a day off on Sunday.    

            

Arctic Bay Sunrise. October 14, 2013.

Monday, October 14 served another great piece of natural scenery for me to photograph.  While walking to school in the early morning hours, the Arctic sun slowly rose above the surrounding mountains and was positioned to the south of the bay.  I quickly took out my digital camera and snapped a few photos of the sun and the light reflecting off the ice in the bay.  The resulting photos were great.  The close up shot of the reflecting sunlight made it appear as if the ice were made of gold.  I only spent a few hours at school, prepping lessons for the upcoming week. 

            

The following weekend, I was put in charge of supervising the cadet bonfire near the airport.  It would be in the same area the army cadets cleaned up back in August.  There was a whole pile of collected wood we could burn.  In the early evening of Saturday, October 19, the cadets of 3045 Army assembled in front of Inuujaq School's gym, waiting to be driven to the bonfire sight.  I arrived in a red pickup truck, on loan from Lt. May, the corps's Commanding Officer.  I drove extra careful because this was my first time driving in the north.  An RCMP officer, armed with a 12-guage shotgun, joined us to provide protection against any aggressive wildlife (ie. polar bears).  After taking attendance and waiting for a few minutes, the cadets who showed up piled into the back of the red pickup and we were on our way. 

            

I led the convoy of two (pickup and RCMP truck), driving through town, past the Gas Station, and onward to the airport.  Following the gravel road wasn't tough but it was somewhat confusing to figure out where the centre median was.  Before getting onto the open road, I made sure all the cadets were seated in the back.  In the north, the cadets may be allowed to ride in the back of a pickup truck, but they're not allowed to stand when the vehicle is in motion.

            

Upon arrival, the cadets got out and started walking around the perimeter towards the bonfire site.  The senior cadets carried the most important supplies: hotdogs, buns, ketchup, mustard, and marshmallows.  I left the truck parked off to the side and walked at the back of the pack, making sure there weren't any stragglers.  While we slowly edged our way around the gravel runway, a First Air plane was being refueled and restocked on the airport's main apron.  From what I remember, this plane was continuing its journey from Resolute to Iqaluit.  Lt. May instructed me to hold off on lighting the bonfire if there was a plane getting ready for takeoff.  He didn't want the smoke to get in the way.  The first batch of wood was assembled when the plane was taxiing to the other end of the runway.  It turned around and rapidly accelerated before lifting off into the night sky.  We all waved goodbye.

            

Using pieces of an old newspaper as kindling, I lit them and placed them next to smaller pieces of wood.  They started to burn but the fire wouldn't spread to the bigger pieces.  Luckily, we had a jar of naphtha for 'insurance'.  I poured some and it got the fire going again for some time but I had to do two more times before the larger pieces of wood finally burned.  When that happened, everyone stood back as the fire rapidly grew.      

            

With the bonfire now at the right size, we broke out the hotdogs and marshmallows.  Unfortunately, we didn't have enough rods for roasting so we had to share.  The hotdogs and marshmallows that I roasted turned out okay but it was a challenge getting close to the fire.  The hotdogs and marshmallows were gone in about thirty minutes and all there was left were the hotdog buns.  In the distance, Arctic Bay was glowing, thanks to all the streetlights and houselights.

            

We stayed until 7:30pm.  By then, looking at the bonfire had lost its charm and the cadets wanted to head home.  The cadets extinguished the blaze by dumping mounds of snow.  The fire sizzled until it was nothing but small glowing embers.  Using flashlights and knowledge of the land, we hiked back to the pickup trucks.  The RCMP officer and I dropped off the cadets at their respective homes.  I returned Lt. May's truck at his house before walking back to my place.  I was glad that my first supervised bonfire had gone well.  Everyone had fun and no one was mauled by a polar bear.    

October 12, 2013

     

Class of 2013

In June 2013, seven high school students acquired all the necessary credits and community service hours to be eligible for graduation.  They were all ecstatic at finishing an important academic milestone in their lives and looked forward to the ceremony in October.  The ceremony is held in the fall because in June, the weather is warm, the snow & ice are melting, and everyone is too busy camping, fishing, and hunting.  At the same time, the graduates were saddened to be leaving high school because they had many great and memorable experiences.  All high school graduates have those thoughts.          

            

The successful completion of high school is an important step into adulthood.  With a high school diploma, one can continue his or her studies at a post-secondary institution (ie. university, college, trade school), or enter the workforce right away.  Whatever the direction a young high school graduate chooses, the diploma in their hands is the gateway to a better income and higher standard of living.  These views were echoed by the majority of candidates in the recent Nunavut election.  Improving the education system in the territory has become an important political issue, with calls to improve the quality by adding more northern-focused content, and to increase the number of Inuit graduates by getting them the assistance they need. 

            

Paulette Campbell, the high school art teacher, was in charge of organizing graduation, a task that requires dedication, organization, and direction, but she was more than ready to take on the necessary challenges.  As well, she also had the assistance of the graduates, parents, and the teachers on the graduation committee.  Fundraising played a huge part because money was needed to pay for graduation gowns, renting the Community Hall, a graduation cake, food for the formal dinner, decorations, the dance DJ, and professional photographer.  The majority of the money raised came from holding a draw for two First Air return tickets to Iqaluit or Ottawa.  Free plane tickets are a hot commodity because air travel is very expensive in the north.  I bought four tickets but didn't win.  Money was also raised by holding a table sale at the Community Hall on Saturdays.  Anything can be sold at table sales: clothing, food, used DVDs, housing items, etc. 

            

The big day was set for Friday, October 11.  On Thursday, many teachers and high school students flocked over to the Community Hall to get everything ready.  The dinner tables & chairs needed to be set up, curtains needed to be hanged, and a lot of balloons needed to be blown up and attached to strings so they could be hung.  I should have brought earplugs because many balloons popped for no reason.  A long purple carpet, pasted with stars, had been laid out down the middle of the hall.  A tall purple arch was placed at the halfway mark.  The graduation colour this year was purple.  By the early evening, everything was set up and ready to go. 

            

The festivities began at 6pm on Friday.  School had been dismissed thirty minutes early so that teachers and students could get ready for the ceremony.  I arrived at the Community Hall several minutes before 6, wearing a black suit with a colourful inukshuk tie.  As more and more people arrived in formal attire, I passed the time photographing the decorations.  The graduate dinner was the first item on the program and it was for the graduates (obviously), their parents, invited guests, and Inuujaq School staff.  The buffet-styled dinner offered caribou, chicken, ham, turkey, stuffing, bread, salad, vegetables, mashed potatoes, and gravy.  It was a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner prepared by the Banquet Coordinator, Hanna Aola.

            

At 7pm, the tables were cleared and rows of grey chairs were set up for the audience.  The graduates changed into their purple graduation gowns and caps.  Some had their pictures taken with family and friends while they waited.  By 8pm, the hall was packed with excited people.  The MCs for the ceremony were Iga Muckpa and Geela Arnauyumayuq, both Inuujaq School teachers.  Geela also serves as Arctic Bay's deputy mayor.  When it was time, the MCs asked everyone to take their seats and asked those teachers who were presenting awards to sit on stage behind the seats reserved for the graduates.  Adhering to the call, I took my seat on stage and waited for the ceremony to begin.  The principal, A. Salam, also took his seat on stage.  The remaining teaching staff sat with the audience.  

            

At 8pm, the lights were dimmed and the graduates were escorted to the front by RCMP Constable Sean Bulford.  The chosen theme song, "Rollin'" by Ish, was played over loud speakers.  As the audience stood and cheered for the graduates, several spectators lit sparklers, and others recorded the procession with their cameras and iPods.  When the graduates were seated, the music stopped and the qulliq was lit by Qapik Attagutsiak, a well-respected elder.  This was followed by an opening prayer by Sam Willie.

            

The ceremony began with an address to the graduates by the principal of Inuujaq School.  He spoke in English and Inuktitut, congratulating the graduates for completing high school and wishing them the best in their future endeavours.  He then presented each graduate with their diploma.  The DEA Chair, Tagoonark Qavavauq, followed with a speech, echoing the same sentiments of the principal but also stressing the importance of high school education.

            

The next segment of the ceremony was the handing out of seven awards to the winning graduates.  Andrew Reid was awarded the Governor General's Award and the Hamlet Award, presented by Principal A. Salam and Geela Arnauyumayuq respectively.  Bruno Attagutsiak won two awards: Citizenship/Leadership, and Inuktitut Language Achievement.  They were presented to him by me, the Social Studies teacher, and Iga, the high school Inuktitut teacher.  Alisa Shooyook also won two awards, Math & Science and the Language Arts Achievement Award, presented by Coreen Collins, the high school science teacher, and Paulette.  All graduates were awarded the Baffinland Iron Mines Achievement Award and would each receive a laptop.

            

What followed were statements from the graduates and their parents.  This portion of the ceremony followed an 'open-up-the-floor' approach.  The graduates kept their statements short and to the point, thanking their parents, friends, and relatives for their support.  The parents spoke the most, their statements being short speeches.  

            

The closing remarks were given to Paulette, and she personally congratulated the graduates on their success and wished them all the best.  She also thanked the audience for coming out to support the graduates.  In return, the audience thanked Paulette for organizing the ceremony by giving her a standing ovation.  The graduates were led out of the hall by the RCMP Constable while the song "Rollin'" played.  The hall was filled with cheers and applause.  While the graduates celebrated by cutting the graduation cake, people began to clear the chairs to make way for the celebratory dance.  The southern teachers and I quietly exited the Community Hall.