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Inuujaq School held an attendance awards assembly on Friday, November 13th.  The time had come to recognize the students who attended every school day for the month of October.  As luck would have it, Paul Quassa, Nunavut's Minister of Education, happened to be visiting the community and accepted the school's invitation to attend the assembly.  The minister was in the middle of touring several schools in the north Qikiqtani region.   

            

Paul Quassa.

Paul Quassa participated in the land claims negotiations of the 1980s as a representative of the Tunngavik Federation of Nunavut (TFN).  He was one of the official signatories of the 1993 Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (NLCA), signing as the President of the TFN.  The organization later became Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI).  My current and previous Grade 10 Social Studies students know him very well because he is one of the many notable Inuit figures we learn about in the Staking The Claim module.

            

Grade 1 class.

Paul Quassa speaking to students.

Inuujaq School's principal introduced the Minister of Education once everyone was seated.  The Grade 1 & 2 students wore traditional Inuit clothing for the occasion.  The minister introduced himself and explained why he was visiting the school and the community.  He also talked about the importance of education, and encouraged students to attend school, graduate, and seek employment in the territory.  Near the end of the assembly, he called out the high school students with perfect attendance and gave them their certificates.  He then posed for a group photo.

            

Paul Quassa & the high school perfect attenders.

Paul Quassa visited each class before catching his flight to Resolute Bay.  The principal acted as his tour guide.  They both entered my class just as I was testing my drummers.  (I usually schedule my music tests on Fridays).  I put the testing on hold so that my drummers could demonstrate their skills to the minister.  I spoke to Quassa about the high school music program I started and how my students enjoyed learning about his role in the drafting & signing of the NLCA.  He took a group photo with my drummers before saying his goodbyes.  I continued testing my drummers.

Paul Quassa, Principal Salam, and the 2015 Inuujaq School Drum Line.

My Grade 10 Social Studies students continued their revision of the Canadian Residential School system.  For the month of November, the students:

·  learned about the Indian Act of 1876, a law the Canadian government used to control and assimilate Aboriginals & Inuit into European culture.

·  read survivor stories from across Canada,

·  studied several important individuals who broke their silence & demanded justice & compensation,

·  and what the federal government & churches did to compensate survivors for years of neglect & abuse, and funding programs designed to foster healing and reconciliation.

In Grade 11 Social Studies, we finished our study of the First World War and Canada's involvement in this global conflict.  My students watched the war film Passchendaele, and completed a final test.  (Passchendaele is Canada's most expensive movie, made on a budget of $20 million). 

            

There was only enough time in the semester to teach one more module, so I chose to teach my students ultranationalism and its use in the 20th century.  We began the module by studying the rise of the Axis Powers after the First World War and their charismatic leaders.  I then introduced my students to the term genocide, coined by Raphael Lemkin, explained what it means, and what conditions have to be in place for it to happen.  (Two great resources on this topic are the website Genocide Watch and the article, The Ten Stages of Genocide, by Gregory H Stanton).  My students were surprised, shocked, and fascinated by the topics & events they learned.

            

I gave my drummers a short break from practicing and let them watch the 2014 movie Whiplash.  The movie is about an ambitious jazz drummer student, who has to deal with a mean & abusive stage band instructor.  I showed the movie for two reasons: one, the film illustrates how good a musician can get with much practice & dedication, and two, how music instructors should never teach their students.  Using physical, verbal, and emotional abuse as a form of instruction never works. 

            

The month of November was spent learning the music I selected for the Christmas concert in December.  I found three cadences on the Internet and wrote one over a weekend.  That cadence is based on a drum rhythm played during the credits of the 2002 film Drumline.  I also incorporated several visuals and stick tricks.  We practiced as much as possible, but at the end of the month, I noticed that two of the selected cadences were proving to be quite difficult.  I modified the cadences by simplifying the difficult passages and adding some stick tricks.  My drummers' frowns were turned upside down.

            

Canadian Museum of History Presentation.

A representative from the Canadian Museum of History, (formerly known as the Canadian Museum of Civilization), came to Arctic Bay on November 26 to talk to the high school students about the upcoming Canadian History Hall exhibit that would feature a story of one of their ancestors.  The story would be presented in the exhibit's first section, titled, "The Land and its First Peoples: 13,000 BC - AD 1500".  Information packages about the project were sent to community members weeks in advance.    

            

The presentation was held in my classroom in the afternoon.  The tables were folded up and piled against a wall.  Chairs were placed in a semicircle, facing the green & white boards I regularly use during my classes.

            

The presenter explained that in 1959, "Father Mary-Rousseliere and Dr. Lawrence Ochinsky were led to a grave by an Arctic Bay man named Iperk."  The grave was at the southwest point of the Uluksan Peninsula and it contained the remains of a man, an infant, and a number of implements & tools.  The presenter displayed pictures of the ivory-made tools on the white board using a projector and passed around two detailed replicas for the students to look at.  There were carvings depicting scenes of arctic life on an ivory snow knife and bowdrill.  The scenes depicted were of camp life, paddling a kayak, and hunting caribou & whale.

            

What fascinated students the most was the amount of information that the archaeologists could extract just by studying the implements, tools, and human remains.  According to the presenter and the information package, the adult was a man between 35-46 years of age at death, and about 5'1" to 5'2" in height.  He lived in the area of what is now Arctic Bay about 400 years ago.  The bones revealed that the man "engaged in repetitive movements", such as kayaking & hunting, and suffered injuries to the head, neck, spine, and ribs.  The injuries were most likely caused by whiplash and blunt force trauma while kayaking through rapids or from "a direct strike by a whale or large wave."

            

The students were really interested in the topic and excited to learn that one of their ancestors would be featured in one of Canada's most prominent museums.  They asked a lot of questions during the presentation.               

            

RCMP Recruitment Presentation

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) held a recruitment presentation for high school students on November 27th.  The presentation was held in the high school science classroom and was done by an officer from Iqaluit.  The officer explained the purpose & role of the RCMP, what jobs are available, how to apply, and what cadet training is like at the RCMP Academy, Depot Division.  The training academy is located in Regina, Saskatchewan. 

            

He also showed several recruitment videos that were made for an Inuit audience.  The RCMP is trying to attract more Inuit recruits to take on a more active role in policing northern communities.  This would foster better relations with the Inuit public and bridge language barriers.  One of the main challenges of the RCMP is employing officers who are bilingual in English & Inuktitut.  Unilingual Inuit are reluctant to report criminal behaviour because they cannot communicate in English.  The recruiter said there is a five year plan to add an additional officer and a bilingual secretary to the RCMP detachment in Arctic Bay.  (Currently, the community is policed by two officers).    

            

I'm pretty sure several students were interested in applying after the presentation was finished.  They just have to finish high school, be 19 years old, be proficient in English, and meet physical, medical, & psychological standards.             

            

John

Two teachers participated in this year's Movember event by not shaving their facial hair for the month of November.  Movember is an annual event "involving the growing of moustaches ... to raise awareness of various cancers, such as prostate cancer."  The word Movember is a portmanteau of the words moustache & November.  The event originated in 1999, in Adelaide, Australia.  The two teachers were John & Jean-Francois (JF).  John teaches Grades 7 & 8, and JF teaches high school math & science.

            

JF

I have been asked several times in the past to participate in the Movember movement but I always politely decline.  I don't like facial hair.  I prefer to donate money.     

       

The last day of Movember happened to be on a Monday.  I photographed John & JF after school before they went home & shaved off their moustaches.      

Remembrance Day (2015)

A lot of sugar was consumed over the Halloween weekend.  When school reconvened on November 2, it was obvious that very few students slept.  The sugar rush would last for the next several days.  Halloween decorations were taken down, leaving the hallways and classroom doors bare.  I showed the ugliest costume contest videos I filmed to my students.  They enjoyed laughing at the crazy costumes of 2015. 

            

I debriefed my drummers about their first public performance.  Most of them said they were really nervous and made plenty of mistakes.  I reiterated that since none of them made a "big deal" about their mistakes during the performance, the audience didn't notice them at all.  I also reminded my drummers of the "Golden Saying" whenever a musician is confronted by an accusation of making a mistake: you just reply, "That was part of the performance."  I once again congratulated them for successfully performing their first gig and that it wasn't as hard as they thought it would be.  Our next public gig would be the Christmas concert in December.

            

The next big event in the community after Halloween, and all of Canada, is Remembrance Day.  The cadet corps takes charge by organizing a ceremony at the community hall on November 11th.  Planning already began in mid-October because there are many tasks to complete and the cadets need time to review the drill routines.  Lt. May, the commanding officer, assigned me the position of emcee. 

            

The program is mostly "set-in-stone"; we just had to find volunteers to do readings, presentations, prayers, and speeches.  A reception would be held after the ceremony as a way of thanking the public for their attendance.  The only new addition this year was having a looping slideshow at the back of the hall.  The slideshow would contain pictures of Canadian war memorials, cemeteries, and battlefields where Canadian soldiers fought in Normandy, France during the two world wars.  The pictures were taken by the cadets who travelled to Normandy in May, and when I travelled to the region in the summer of 2014.  The slideshow was put together by Ryan, Inuujaq School's media teacher.    

            

Lt. May booked the community hall on November 4th for an evening dress rehearsal.  The cadets practiced marching in & out as a single file, reforming in two ranks, removing & replacing headdress, and standing at attention.  Two cadets were chosen to carry the flags of Canada & the cadet movement.  They practiced flag party drill with Civilian Instructor Reid.  Three cadets were chosen to recite Lt.Colonel John McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields".  They practiced reciting the poem from memory. 

            

I looked around the empty hall, picturing in my mind the following Wednesday morning.  I also thought about what to say in my speeches.  The Welcome Address was my responsibility as emcee, and it was suggested that I also talk about the meaning of wearing the poppy.  I had rough ideas by the end of the night.

            

At school, I taped a collection of Remembrance Day themed posters in the high school hallway.  (I bought a second set for the cadet corps; they would be displayed at the community ceremony).  I showed several Canadian Heritage film minutes, and pictures from my Normandy, France trip to my two social studies classes.  The elementary & middle school hallways were decorated with drawings of poppies.  One teacher gave me several posters made by their students so that I could paste them on the walls of the community hall.  Connie, the high school Inuit culture teacher, made her own poppies from sealskin and sold them for $20 each.  Most of the teachers bought one.

            

November 11th, Remembrance Day, is a public holiday in Canada.  There are regular classes down south but not in Arctic Bay.  Everyone gets a day off from school.  I made my way down to the community hall at 9:45am, wearing my green dress uniform under my heavy Canada Goose parka, and snow pants.  I decided that my military issued trench coat was not made to handle the arctic cold.  I checked my uniform, making sure there was nothing wrong.  I spent the previous day ironing my uniform and polishing my shoes.  When I was convinced that nothing was out of place, I waited for the cadets to arrive, and quickly checked their uniforms.

            

Audience. *1.

Flag Party. *2.

Everything was in place and ready to go at 10:45am.  I glanced over the community hall - filled with people & special guests - one last time before commencing the ceremony.  The flags of Canada & the cadet movement were marched in and placed on brass coloured pedestals.  The cadets marched in single file and reformed in two ranks between the flags.  Behind them marched the town's two RCMP officers and several Canadian Rangers.  Reverend Leah May led the opening prayer in Inuktitut.

            

Me doing the Welcome Address. *3.

I kept my Welcome Address short and to the point.  I acknowledged the attendance of visiting guests, such as, PJ Akeeagok, the President of the QIA, and all the people who volunteered to do readings, prayers, and presentations.  I also included the following facts:

1) Remembrance Day was first observed in 1919, to mark the end of the First World War in 1918. 

2) In the years that followed, the day would be used to acknowledge the duties & sacrifices Canadians have made in other world conflicts, past, present, and future.

3) More than 1,500,000 Canadians have served in the armed forces and more than 100,000 have died in the line of duty.

Local Arctic Bay resident, Sam Willie, translated my words into Inuktitut.  He was the translator for the ceremony.

           

Following the playing of the national anthem, "O Canada", Lt. May & Eunice Attagutsiak read Micah 4: verses 3-4 in English & Inuktitut.  Eunice teaches Grade 7 at Inuujaq School.  Everyone then sang the hymn "Abide With Me" with prerecorded & live music provided by Sam Willie.

            

We didn't have a bugler present for the ceremony, so we had to play a recorded version of the "Last Post".  Everyone then stood for the Minute of Silence.  Next came the "Piper's Lament" and "Reveille".  These musical pieces were also played from recorded audio files.

            

Cadet Corporal C. Tilley lays a wreath. *4.

The Act of Remembrance was done in English, French, and Inuktitut, by retired Lt. (Navy) Alison Drummond, Francois Brouilette, and Cathy Towtongie.  Francois is the current manager of the local Co-op and Cathy is the President of the NTI.

            

From the left: Cathy Towtongie, President of NTI. Levi Barnabas, local QIA liaison offier.
Tommy Tatatuapik, local Ranger patrol. *5.

Cadet Corporal R. Qaunaq reads
the first verse of "In Flanders Fields."
*6.

Four wreaths from the cadet corps, QIA, NTI, and Canadian Rangers were placed in front of the podium during the Wreath Laying.  Psalm 121 was then read in English & Inuktitut by Ryan Girvin & Phillip Kalluk.

Reverend Les Wheeldon happened to be visiting Arctic Bay at the time of the ceremony and was asked to talk a little bit about what Remembrance Day meant to him.

            

I briefly spoke about the life & times of Lt. Colonel John McCrae and his most famous poem, "In Flanders Fields".  I also explained to the audience that every November 11, we wear poppies as a memorial symbol for soldiers who have fought and died in war.  I then called upon cadets Robyn Qaunaq, Ashley Tunraq, and Dylan Tilley to read "In Flanders Fields".

            

Cadet Corporal A. Tunraq reads the second verse of "In Flanders Fields". *7.

Cadet Lance Corporal D. Tilley reads the third verse of "In Flanders Fields". *8.

Lt. May presenting his closing remarks.
*9.

The audience stood up to sing the hymn "O God Our Help In Ages Past" and "God Save the Queen."  Sam Willie led the closing prayer and Lt. May concluded the ceremony with his closing remarks.  He thanked everyone for attending, the people who participated in the program, congratulated cadet corporal Robyn Qaunaq for commanding the cadets, and Paulette for making the Remembrance Day mural.  Paulette is the high school art teacher and had this to say about her mural:            

            

Paulette's Mural.

"I researched many images of war and finally was inspired by a Frank Hurley photograph taken in 1917.  A bleak and moody landscape with soldiers walking through.  Loss of life is inferred by natural debris.  I did my first drawing with a white pastel and the image was strong, but I wanted more mood.  I chose [the colour] purple - [the] symbol of mourning, but it is also spiritually calming."

The mural was completed in 3 days.

            

Cadets of 3045 Army. *10.

The cadets, rangers, and RCMP marched out of the hall while the audience applauded their performance.  People then stood up and got in line for the reception.  Coffee, tea, bannock, and cupcakes had been prepared by the health nurses and the bylaw officer.  I received many positive comments about the ceremony from the people who attended.  I was glad that everything turned out well and the slideshow was well received.

            

Reception Line.

The community hall was tidied up and rearranged for a public QIA meeting later that afternoon.     

Lest We Forget.

*1 - 10: Photos taken by Joanna Awa.

Halloween Festivities

Me as Puppet Master.

The teachers & students of Inuujaq School celebrated Halloween on Friday, October 30th.  There were regular classes in the morning but the afternoon was reserved for the costume contest, haunted house, and  an assortment of class activities.

            

I didn't cover any new material in my morning classes because everyone was thinking about Halloween.  We watched an age-appropriate horror movie.  The Inuit youth of Arctic Bay really like horror movies.  They always suggest that I buy and stock horror movies in my classroom.  I politely decline the suggestions because horror movies don't fall into the category of educational/social studies movies.  It would be a different story if I was teaching media/film studies.

            

When the lunch bell rang, I borrowed a coworker's SUV and drove home to collect my costumes.  One of my drummers would be borrowing my V for Vendetta costume I wore last year.  My costume this year is the titular character of a 1980s horror movie series called Puppet Master.  I've never watched the series.  I ordered the costume off of the Spirit Halloween website after many hours of browsing their selections.  I also ordered a plastic machete that "bleeds" blood.  The only trouble with the costume was the face mask: it was tight around the nose.  I hoped the outfit would give everyone a good scare.

            

I quickly changed into my costume after I drove back to school.  My drummers began to arrive at 1:15pm.  They were impressed by my choice of costume.  We began moving all the drums, equipment, and music to the gym.  My drummers would kick off the Halloween festivities with a variety of percussion pieces.  More people began to arrive wearing their costumes.  Students and teachers successfully & unsuccessfully guess who I am behind the mask.  I made the guessing game unintentionally easier when I began walking with my drum sticks.  When all the drums were set up at the front of the gym, I instructed my drummers to wait outside.

            

2015 Inuujaq School Halloween Drumline.

We wore our masks to hide our looks of nervousness.  We practiced in the gym several days in advance to get a feel for what the music would sound like in a large open room.  When the gym was full of students, teachers, elders, and parents, the emcee called us to the front.  I led the procession of drummers.  I wanted to say something over the microphone but I changed my mind at the last minute.  We stood behind our drums and looked forward.  I raised my drum sticks and clicked four times.  The drum show began.

             

We played two pieces written by Cassidy Byars and one piece from the University of Massachusetts (UoM).  I downloaded the sheet music for "Storm" and "Navigator" from Cassidy's website, FreeDrumLineMusic.com.  I also found UoM's "Pregame Run Out!" on the Internet.  For the finale, my lead drummer performed a short solo, followed by the entire drum line playing stick clicks.  We bounced our sticks off of the gym floor as the audience clapped and cheered.  Thankfully, none of the sticks snapped.  Our performance lasted five minutes.  I personally congratulated and shook each drummer's hand after the performance.

            

Stick Clicks

The costume contest required each class to walk around the centre of the gym so that the audience got a good look at each costume.  A panel of judges would then a pick a winner from each class.  High school participants were judged as one class.  Winners received gift certificates for the local Co-op store.  The teachers also participated in the costume contest.  All the young kids were mesmerized by my "bleeding" machete and reached up to touch it.  I should have bought a second one.  I was selected as the teacher with the best costume.         

            

A variety of Halloween-themed activities & games had been organized by the elementary & middle school teachers.  A round-robin system was used so that all classes got the opportunity to experience all the activities & games.  The Grade 9 Haunted House was the most popular attraction.  I made sure the drummers helped me put away the instruments before they participated in the games.  Everyone was dismissed at 3pm.             

            

Inuujaq School Gym.

Air Rifle Range

Halloween officially occurs on October 31st, and this year, the day happened to be on a Saturday.  3045 Army Cadet Corps started off the day with a bang by staging a biathlon shoot.  Inuujaq School's gym was converted into an air rifle range with three shooting lanes.  Boxes of Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs) were brought to feed the participants at lunch time.  A snack table, offering cupcakes, muffins, & hot chocolate, would be available to the cadets during the relays.

           

Lt. May briefs everyone on how the Biathlon Shoot is to proceed.

Boxes of MREs.

Even though this was a biathlon shoot, the cadets would be running instead of skiing.  Cadets had to run three times and shoot three times.  The running route was a loop around the school area.  Cadets could only shoot five times per grouping target.  The goal was to complete the three runs & shootings in the shortest amount of time.  My job was to be the timekeeper.  Officer Cadet Swoboda & Civilian Instructor (CI) Reid would score the groupings.  Lt. May would run the rifle range.  As the clocked inched closer to noon, CI Reid assisted in the preparation of the MREs.

           

Cdt Paniaq-Taqtu takes aim.

Cdt Akumalik reloads his Daisy Air Rifle.

The cadets who attended the biathlon shoot had a good time.  They were tired from all the running but they had fun.  Everyone cleaned up the gym and played sports in the afternoon.   

            

CI Reid & Cdt. Tilley fire up the Coleman stoves and prepare the MRE lunches.

Trick-or-treating happened between 5 & 7pm.  I changed into my Puppet Master costume and brought out all the Halloween candy I purchased off of Well.ca.  I bought extra candy at the Northern Store because I thought I didn't have enough.  I unlocked the front door, sat on a chair, and waited.  (Knocking on doors isn't an Inuit custom.  You just walk in.)  The weather outside was dark and cold.

            

My Halloween candy stash.

A steady stream of trick-or-treaters, young & old, began to arrive on skidoos, atvs, and trucks.  Unlike down south, everyone is allowed to trick-or-treat.  Who can't resist receiving free candy?  I gave out between 2 - 3 pieces of candy.  (Giving out one piece is cheap & rude in my mind.  Exceptions would be a can of pop or a regular sized chocolate bar).  Several little kids were still scared of my costume and didn't want to walk up to receive candy.  Thankfully, they had their parents as their Plan B's.  The stream of trick-or-treaters stopped at around 6:30.  I still had plenty of candy left.  I changed out of my costume, put on regular clothes, and walked down to the community hall for the annual ugliest costume contest.

            

People arrive at the Community Hall
to view the ugliest costume contest.

The contest began at 7pm.  Fold out chairs had been set up along the walls, creating a large open space in the middle.  The chairs in front of the stage were reserved for the contest participants.  They are allowed to make costumes that are either scary and/or so farfetched that they cause the audience to laugh out loud (lol).  Contestants are encouraged to wear masks so that no one can guess their identities until the very end.  Those who win the cash prizes go up on stage and remove their masks in front of everyone.  I took a seat at the back so that I could film the participants showing off their ugly & crazy costumes.  Contestants were divided into two groups: 12 & under, and 13 & over. 

            

The costumes of the 12 & under group were mostly combinations of two or three costumes.  There was only one that really stood out for me because it was covered with dolls and stuffed animals. 

            

The costumes of the 13 & over group were way out there.  I could spend an entire blog post just describing each individual costume.  Let's just say the older contestants through on whatever they could find and hoped for the best.  There was a lot of variety to look at and the people around me couldn't stop laughing. 

           

When all the cash prizes were handed out to the lucky winners, the last event of the night was the candy toss.  The judges reached into a large cardboard box, grabbed handfuls of candy and tossed them up into the air towards the audience.  Many reached out to catch the candy before they hit the ground.  The judges continued to toss candy until the box was empty.  The floor was picked clean at the end of the toss.  I filmed the entire spectacle with my camera.   

Gandalf from Lord of the Rings (left) and Puppet Master (right).
Gandalf was played by Ryan, the school's media teacher.