February Parents Night & Saying Farewell

3045 Army Cadet Corps held its first Parents Night in the new year on February 24th.  We had badges and prizes to give out, so we felt it would be better & more significant if the parents were in attendance.  The food for the reception was prepared by JF and his after school baking club.            

The guest reviewing officer (GRO) for the parade was Captain T. Nicol.  This would be Nicol's last parade as one of the Northwestern's Area Cadet Officers (ACO).  If any corps in the eastern region (Iqaluit, Arctic Bay, Igloolik, Rankin Inlet, and Naujaat) needed help with anything (ie. dealing with staff, travel arrangements, general questions), he was the officer to call.  A different officer would be carrying on in his place in the next several weeks, and Nicol would be pursuing other career ventures.             

            

The cadets prepared the school's gym by setting up chairs, flags, and the Dias table.  Several cadets also helped JF set up the reception table.  The parade started a little later than planned.

            

Cadet Sergeant E. Natanine in command.

The parade was commanded by cadet Sergeant E. Natanine.  She formed up the cadets and marched them to the centre of the parade square.  The GRO entered the gym and marched to the Dias.  Lt. May, 3045's Commanding Officer, and I followed closely behind.  We were wearing our formal green dress uniforms.  Cpt. Nicol inspected and spoke to the cadets on parade.  (I don't know what they talked about because I was taking pictures from a far).

            

March Past.

Sgt. Natanine led the corps in a March Past.  Cpt. Nicol then addressed the cadets & audience with a short speech.  He thanked the corps for inviting him to Arctic Bay and praised the cadets for their dress, drill, and deportment.  He also encouraged community members to continue supporting the corps & the cadet movement, and to think about joining up as a civilian instructor or cadet instructor cadre (CIC) officer.   

            

Me announcing several award recipients.  Picture taken by Clare Kines.

Marksmanship.

Cpt. Nicol assisted the adult staff of 3045 in presenting the badges and prizes to certain cadets.  We started with marksmanship; three cadets had achieved a higher shooting level at the last shooting practice.  Next came physical training (PT); several cadets had earned a higher level at the PT test that took place at the beginning of the month.    

            

Fall Biathlon Winners.  Picture taken by Clare Kines.

Stage II Postal Shooters.

The three cadets who won the biathlon competition last October were called up to the Dias to receive their prizes.  One cadet received an army baseball cap and the other two received t-shirts.  The cadets who participated in the Stage II Postal Shoot were also called up to the front to be recognized.  We still didn't know if they had been chosen to advance but they still deserved recognition for their effort.

            

Cpt. Nicol (left) & Lt. May (right).

Lt. May presented a thank you gift to Cpt. Nicol.  The gift was book, titled, Light Unbound: The Exquisite Beauty of Arctic Bay.  The book is a collection of photographs taken by Arctic Bay resident Clare Kines.  The parade ended with closing remarks by Lt. May and a General Salute.  The cadets were dismissed and everyone headed over to the reception area.

            

I would now like to address the unexpected event that occurred last week.  

            

The staff of Inuujaq School received devastating news on February 18.  We had lost one of our own.  Iga Muckpa, a long time educator at Inuujaq School, and resident of Arctic Bay, had passed away after a lengthy battle with a serious illness.  Teachers were given permission to stay at home that day.  Several teachers prepared and delivered trays of sandwiches and snacks to the surviving family.  The food would also feed visiting mourners.  The atmosphere in the house was somber.

            

Iga (with bullhorn) running the Easter
Egg hunt. March 28, 2013.

I met and worked with Iga since I arrived in the community in 2013.  She was the high school Inuit language/culture teacher.  She was deeply active in organizing the spirit team activities during the year, and promoted the teaching of Inuit language & culture in school.  She had to stop teaching at the school in June 2014 to begin medical treatments.        

            

Funeral program.

As funeral arrangements were being made, Greg & I were asked if we could perform two songs as part of the program.  We readily agreed and practiced "Hallelujah" and "Amazing Grace" for several days.  Greg would sing the lyrics & I would play the piano.  The staff would sing along with Greg during the chorus sections.

            

The funeral took place at the community hall on the afternoon of February 25th.  I had made arrangements to get the piano and music stands transported to the hall.  Pictures of Iga decorated the walls around the hall.  The casket, draped in a white cloth, was placed in front of the stage.  Two students handed out programs to mourners.  The ceremony began at 1:30pm.

            

The community hall was packed with people.  Some had flown in from other communities to say their final goodbyes.  The order of service consisted of prayers, hymns, Bible readings, special songs, and words of remembrance. 

            

When the Order of Service reached the Special Songs section, the school staff were called up first to perform "Hallelujah" and "Amazing Grace".  We were all wearing black & white clothing.  I sat on the right side of the casket and the staff stood on the left side.  Colourful wreaths and flowers adorned the casket.  From where I was sitting & playing, both songs sounded great.  And judging from the looks of the audience, they were glad to hear the tunes.

            

We were followed by several people who sang Inuktitut songs.

            

During the Words of Remembrance, many people came forward to share their stories of Iga.  They were family, extended family, friends, coworkers, and former students.  Even though my understanding of Inuktitut is limited (but growing), the tone and emotions conveyed in the stories made me understand that Iga had a tremendous positive impact on the people around her.

            

The casket was slowly carried out of the community hall after the Final Farewell.  Many people came up to the surviving family to offer their condolences.  Several people thanked Greg & I for the songs we performed.  The surviving family and other community members drove out to the cemetery to lay Iga to rest.  She will be missed by everyone.