Parents Night - October 2016

3045 Army Cadet Corps held its first Parents Night of the 2016-17 training year on October 26.  A Parents Night is similar to a Commanding Officer's Parade that cadet corps down south organize, except the emphasis here is on the parents to come and see what their children have been learning since August.  The parade is also a good opportunity to give out promotions, awards, and to acknowledge the hard work of staff & volunteers.  This parade was also special for me because it was the first Parents Night where I would be commanding.  That's quite a big parade position for an Officer Cadet (OCdt).

            

Cadets on parade.

The cadets arrived at Inuujaq School's gym to set up chairs, flags, the awards table, and the coffee table.  Parents, children, and elders started to arrive after 6:00pm.  There was a sizeable audience when the parade started at 6:30pm.

            

The parade started with two cadets marching on the flags of Canada and the cadet movement to the front of the gym and planting them on both sides of the Dias.  (The Dias was really imaginary in front of the awards table).  The two flag bearers then became markers and marched to their assigned positions in the middle of the gym.  The remaining cadets marched on as a platoon and halted next to the markers.  The cadet platoon commander dressed the platoon before ordering the cadets to stand at ease.  When he faced forward, that was the cue for me to march in.

            

Cadets on parade. 

Me inspecting a cadet on parade.

The cadets came to attention when I marched in as the Inspecting Officer.  Lt. May & OCdt Swoboda followed closely behind me.  The audience stood as we marched to the front of the gym.  A General Salute and the playing of O Canada followed.  The cadet platoon commander escorted and followed me as I inspected each cadet on parade.  I did my best to look good for the people taking pictures.  When the inspection was completed, I gave the platoon commander permission to carry on with the March Past.

            

The cadets stood at ease and the parade continued with the awards.  Cadets were called up to receive marksmanship & fitness badges, and to be recognized for their participation in the Army Cadet Challenge that occurred in late September down in Manitoba.  I presented most of the awards to the lucky cadets and posed with them for photographs.  The pictures were taken by long time Arctic Bay resident, Clare Kines.  (The golden rule for accepting awards is, "Grab with the left, shake with the right"). 

            

I also had the honour of announcing the chosen members for the 2017 formed Biathlon Team.  The cadets had been asking the adult staff for the last several weeks about who would be on the team, and we did our best not to say who until Parents Night.  The Biathlon Team is one, if not, the most popular team that the cadets of 3045 want to be chosen for.  I think it's because the sport combines cross country skiing with shooting, and the annual competition takes place in mid-February in Whitehorse, Yukon.  A corps can only send six cadets, three males & three females, to Whitehorse.  We also pick two substitutes in case of emergencies.  I called out the eight cadets who were chosen:

Female

·         Attagutaluk, J.

·         Ejangiaq, S.

·         Paniaq-Knuk, S.

·         Pauloosie, S.

Male

·         Qaqqasiq-Taqtu, K.

·         Tilley, C.

·         Tilley, D.

·         Willie, L.

2017 Biathlon Team. 

The audience applauded the chosen cadets.  The adult staff now had to discuss who would be the two substitutes (1 male, 1 female).

            

A parent receives a Thank You letter from Lt. May. 

A parent receives a Thank You letter
from Lt. May. 

Lt. May continued the parade by acknowledging the parents who "came to the rescue" during the brief crisis that occurred at the end of the Army Cadet Challenge in September.  The chartered aircraft was unable to land in Naujaat (Repulse Bay), thus forcing the Naujaat cadets and their escorting officer to stay in Arctic Bay for one night.  The majority stayed at the community hall, but some were taken in by local parents.  Lt. May called these parents to the front to receive thank you letters written by the cadets of 3055 Naujaat corps.  The cadets of 3055 ended up having to spend a night in Rankin Inlet before the weather cleared in Naujaat.

Cadet Tilley C. (left) - Best Male Athlete.

Four cadets were called up to the front to place their name plates on the trophies they received at last year's ACR.  Their name plates had finally arrived in the mail.  Cadets Tilley C. & Pauloosie, S. were last year's top male & female athletes.  Cadet Tilley, D. had the best boots & deportment, while cadet Kines, T. was the most improved.

            

Cadet Pauloosie, S. (left) - Best Female Athlete. 

Cadet Tilley, D. (left) - Best Boots & Deportment. 

Cadet Kines, T. (left) - Most Improved. 

Cadet Natanine, E. (right).  

The last award of the night was the 4-Year Service Award, presented to cadet Sergeant E. Natanine.  I had the honour of presenting & pinning the medal on her red sash.  Congratulations!

            

The parade ended with a General Salute and the playing of God Save the Queen.  The cadets were dismissed after I led the officers out of the gym.  While parents, children, and elders lined up at the refreshments table, the corps had its picture taken in front of the NEAS flag.  NEAS is a sealift company that operates in Nunavut & Nunavik, delivering supplies to the communities during the brief summer months when the waterways are not blocked by thick ice.  The company is the corps's newest sponsor and they provided us with their flag for advertising purposes. 

   

*The majority of the photos that are posted on this blog were taken by Arctic Bay resident, Clare Kines.  Thank you.

NTA & PI Meetings

JF & I boarded a First Air turboprop plane on the morning of October 21.  The plane had just arrived from Resolute Bay and was ready to continue with its flight to Iqaluit.  We were travelling to the "big city" to participate in a training conference for Nunavut Teachers' Association (NTA) Representatives & Professional Development (PD) Coordinators.  This was our second time attending the conference.  Last year's training sessions occurred in late September.  JF is the NTA Rep & I'm the PD Coordinator.  The conference this year was only for NTA members in the Qikiqtani Region.  Members in the Kivalliq & Kitikmeot regions already had their training sessions in September.

            

Inuit sculpture in downtown
Iqaluit.

JF & I met the NTA members from Resolute Bay & Grise Fiord.  Resolute was sending two teachers and Grise was sending its learning coach.  We briefly spoke about the lesson plans we prepared for the supply teachers prior to takeoff.        

Every school in Nunavut is required to have an NTA Rep & PD Coordinator.  The NTA Rep acts as the union's liaison between the union execs and the teachers at the school.  The PD Coordinator assists teachers in selecting and applying for funding to complete workshops, courses, and activities during PD Week in February.  Following PD Week, I help teachers submit substantiation reports with spending receipts.  Any money that is not spent during PD Week needs to be returned.  It's a lot of hard but rewarding work.

            

Shawarma

All participates were booked in the Hotel Arctic (formerly known as The Nova).  Unfortunately, the room reserved for JF & I was not ready.  We left our luggage behind the main desk and went to Yummy Shawarma for lunch.  I had been craving a shawarma since mid-August.  I ordered a large beef sandwich and it was delicious.  The weather wasn't as cold as in Arctic Bay, but there was snow on the ground, and wind occasionally blew across the streets.  We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting various stores and buying many things.  I mostly stuck to buying school supplies and several movies.  The conference would start the following day.

            

JF & I moved into our hotel room in the late afternoon.  It was night by the time we settled in.  The room was quite nice with two large beds.  I walked over to The Snack for dinner.  JF chose to stay behind.  The fast food establishment is owned & operated by a French family.  I had fries with gravy.

            

The conference began on the morning of October 22 at Inuksuk High School.  We wouldn't be disrupting any classes because it was a Saturday.  Memories of teaching music & senior English Language Arts in 2012 & 2013 flooded my mind as I walked into the building.  Everyone assembled in the library on the second floor for the official welcome.  PD Coordinators had assigned seats in the middle of the library.  We each received: a folder, water bottle, pen, apple stress toy, and several pieces of candy.  The folder was filled with important checklists & documents.  The NTA Reps would receive the same goodies except they were in a nearby classroom. 

            

Terry Young, NTA President and former principal of Inuksuk High School, opened the conference with a short welcome speech.  He was excited to see everyone and looking forward to speaking with everyone during the breaks.  Jeff Avery, the lead PD Coordinator, took over and explained to everyone that the next several months will be hectic and possibly stressful.  The contract between the teacher's union & Government of Nunavut is expiring next June and negotiations are starting near the end of the year.  The union's negotiating team will be kept secret so that they won't be bothered by union members.  However, a survey, asking teachers what they want negotiators to focus on during the talks, is being prepared. 

             

An excellent mural done by
Inuksuk High School students
in the library.

JF & the NTA Reps left the library and assembled in a nearby classroom for their meetings.  I stayed in the library with the other PD Coordinators.  The first part of the meeting was receiving and reviewing a new copy of the PD Manual.  Everyone was glad to see an increase in the amount of PD money each NTA member is able to access.  (The amounts vary depending on where you teach).  The second part of the meeting was looking at the changes of the registration website, applying for education leave, and how important it is for the teachers' union to keep the PD Fund under their control.  (The fund is always contested by the Nunavut government during contract negotiations).

            

Muffins!

Water bottles.

I spoke with other teachers in between the meetings about life in Arctic Bay and extreme ironing.  I'm sure JF talked about his time volunteering at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.  Coffee, tea, bottled water, muffins, and selected fruits were served during the breaks.  The Frobisher Inn was the caterer.  Lunch was not provided so we were free to choose from Iqaluit's many dining establishments.  I already made up my mind.  Yummy Shawarma!  I'm probably one of their best customers.

            

Roast beef dinner.

A formal dinner was held at the Hotel Arctic in the evening.  Everyone wore formal clothing.  I wore a sealskin tie to complement my dress shirt, pants, and shoes.  JF outdid me by wearing a sealskin vest.  I need to find someone in Arctic Bay to make me one.  There was a cash bar offering a variety of alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages.  The main course was roast beef, and the side dishes were salad, bread, vegetables, gravy, and mashed potatoes.  For dessert there were small cakes, fudge, and fruits. 

            

The conference ended the following Sunday morning with several briefings about the preparations for the upcoming contract negotiations.  I thought the conference would end in the afternoon, but apparently, several teachers had to fly back to their communities in the afternoon.  Terry Young closed the conference by personally thanking everyone for attending.  Just like the previous year, everyone was amazed that he correctly called everyone by their first name.  (There were around 40 people in the library).    

            

Iqaluit Aquatic Centre

The flight to Arctic Bay wasn't until Monday afternoon, so there was plenty of time to waste in the big city.  I walked around town, taking more pictures of places of interest.  I started with the new aquatic centre being built next to the fire hall.  The 25-metre pool is nearing completion and will open early next year.  The building looks pretty nice on the outside.  I just hope the facility will be worth the $40 million spent on building it.

            

Iqaluit's new airport terminal.

I also walked down to the new airport terminal being constructed off Federal Road.  The newspapers are saying the large red structure, eight times the size of the old yellow terminal, will be ready in late 2017.  The sooner, the better.  The old yellow terminal is constantly overcrowded at peak hours.  There were no workers present at the construction site but I didn't dare get too close.  There's always someone watching.

            

My older brother recently moved to Iqaluit to begin a new job and we went to the Water's Edge restaurant to celebrate.  The restaurant is located inside the Hotel Arctic.  Strangely, and coincidentally, the restaurant is where I had my first meal when I arrived in Canada's Arctic for the first time in 2012.  My older brother was following in my footsteps.  We ordered large juicy steaks and I paid for the meal.  We wished each other luck in our professions and called it a night.

            

Nunavut Legislative Assembly, right across the street from the Hotel Arctic.

A new building is going up in the downtown
area.  I wonder what it will be?

Monday, October 24, began with an power failure in the downtown area.  The power didn't come back on until two hours later.  During the outage, the teachers thought all flights would be delayed or cancelled.  When the power came back, JF & I learned that Arctic Bay suffered a power failure the night before and a repair crew had to be flown in from Iqaluit to get the power plant working.  We all got taxi cab rides to the airport.  All the school supplies I purchased were packed inside a blue Rubbermaid container I bought at the Northern Store.  The flight to Arctic Bay & Resolute Bay left a little later than scheduled.  The plane landed in Arctic Bay at about 5:30pm.  JF & I were driven into town by Frank.

            

Overall, the weekend trip to Iqaluit was a success and the NTA conference achieved its objectives.  

First Attendance Awards & Operation Bonfire 16

Inuujaq School held its first Attendance Awards Assembly for the month of September on October 12.  Time was needed to review the attendances of all classes, select the winning students, and prepare the prizes.  Awarding perfect attendance is a controversial topic because it rewards being physically present, not academic performance.  However, attendance has been a problem in Nunavut schools for many years, so any initiative to encourage young Inuit to attend is welcome in my opinion. 

            

Perfect attendance awards have been around everywhere for as long as I can remember.  I never won when I was in school.  I was always amazed at the end of the school year when several students were called up to be acknowledged for not missing a single day of school.  I don't know how they did it.

            

Kindergarten winners.

Grade 2 winners.

Everyone assembled in the gym at 3:00pm.  The students were excited to know which classes & students achieved perfect attendance.  The principal was the emcee and high school teacher Connie acted as the Inuktitut translator.  The teachers of each grade were called up one-by-one to announce the perfect attenders in their classes, hand them their certificates, and pose for a group photo.  The lucky winners also received backpacks filled with school supplies. 

            

There was only one high school student who had perfect attendance for the month of September.  She received a book bag filled with school supplies.   

            

October 14, 2016

The cadets of 3045 Army Corps celebrated the end of the second week of October by having a bonfire behind the airport.  Even though this year's beach cleanup didn't happen behind the airport, (as it has been since 2013), there was still plenty of wood - collected from previous years - to burn. 

            

Arctic Bay. October 14, 2016.

We drove out in a convoy of two pickup trucks at 7pm.  The trucks were parked near the airport, and everyone walked down to the wood pile near the water.  A senior cadet brought their atv; so I instructed them to drive down with the cooler full of food.  I went to the Co-op the day before and bought hot dogs, buns, marshmallows, and juice boxes.  I got another cadet to carry the box of roasting sticks.  When we arrived at the large wood pile, there was just a little sunlight to the west, and Arctic Bay was illuminated by streetlights and house lights.  A full moon was also visible.  

            

The cadets built a fire using the wood from the large pile.  We didn't have enough fuel to set the large pile itself on fire and I doubted the cadets would want to stay until everything was burned.  That would have taken several hours.  The lighting of the bonfire was delayed by several minutes because we had to wait for a plane to take off into the night sky.  We hadn't expected a plane to take off this late in the day but I guess the flight crew needed to be in Resolute Bay tonight.

           

It took several minutes for the flames to get going and turn into a bonfire.  The hotdogs, marshmallows, and roasting sticks were brought out.  I took plenty of pictures of everyone roasting hotdogs & marshmallows over an open fire.  A group photo of the cadets standing behind & around the fire was also taken.

            

We extinguished the bonfire with snow at 9pm.  Everyone was home by 10pm. 

            

The new health centre was officially labeled on October 17 with large English letters & Inuktitut syllabics installed next to the main entrance.  The building was connected to the electrical grid a day later. 

            

The bay and surrounding inlets have begun to freeze.  In just a few weeks, the ice will be thick enough for people, skidoos, atvs, and dogs to traverse.  Vehicles will start appearing out on the ice in December.   

            

Halloween is getting closer with every passing day.  My costume & candy have arrived in the mail.  Students ask me what I will be for Halloween but I do not tell them.  I want it to be a surprise.  Their initial reactions are always priceless. 

            

Speaking of Halloween, my drummers are feverishly preparing for their first concert.  The high school drum program has been a regular feature of Inuujaq School's Halloween celebrations since 2013.  Four percussion cadences and two solos will be featured.  We can't wait to show everyone what we've been learning for the last two & half months.

Operation Hilltop 16 & Thanksgiving

Civilian Instructor (CI) Reid & I drove out to the Second Bridge on Thursday, September 29, for a reconnaissance mission.  It was the late afternoon and we wanted to see if the area was in the optimal state to hold Operation Hill Top 16 (OHT16).  (OHT is the annual field training exercise (FTX) 3045 Army Cadet Corps holds in September for the first & second year cadets).  The FTX had already been delayed once during the "Week of Snow" in early September.  If the weather wasn't good enough around the Second Bridge this time, OHT16 would be cancelled for good.

            

The Second Bridge is located in a valley on the Road to Nanisivik and is the last bridge you cross before continuing on to the old Nanisivik Airport and the Nanisivik Naval Facility currently under construction.  The valley is higher above sea level than Arctic Bay so colder weather arrives much earlier.

            

CI Reid drove along the winding road that had been constructed back in the 1970s when the Nanisivik mine opened.  The rocky terrain around us slowly turned from brown to white.  A layer of white snow had formed on top of the rocks.  After driving for some time, we came to a section of road that CI Reid had warned me about.  There were two large patches of ice on the section of road that led down a hill towards the Second Bridge.  There are no guard rails on the left side.  If the truck spins out of control and goes over the edge, it's a long, tumbling journey to the bottom.  He drove slowly over both patches.  We felt the truck sliding a little bit but we successfully made it across the patches.  We checked the camp ground around the Second Bridge and decided that the FTX was a go.  We just hoped the weather wouldn't turn like it did two weeks ago.  Driving back across the two ice patches was surprisingly easier.

          

The first and second year cadets assembled at the school gym on the evening of September 30th.  CI Reid had spent the day driving supplies to the Second Bridge and pitching one of the white Fort McPherson tents.  Attendance was taken, personal belongings were packed into a pickup truck and the cadets got into the back of another pickup truck.  Both trucks are owned by Lt. May.  We drove towards the Second Bridge.

           

I stopped the truck I was driving truck and watched CI Reid drive over the ice patches in his truck.  When he was safely across, he placed the vehicle in park and walked back to where we were.  I instructed all the cadets to start walking down the road.  I walked with them.  I wasn't comfortable driving across those ice patches and I was in no mood to put the lives of the cadets in jeopardy.  I let CI Reid drive over the ice patches because he was more experienced.  The cadets & I got into the first truck and I drove to the Second Bridge.  CI Reid arrived shortly after.

            

The cadets unloaded all the gear we brought and pitched two tents: a white Fort McPherson tent for the females and a green military tent for the males.  The two Canadian rangers that came along had their own tent.  CI Reid & I would sleep in the supply tent.  When the tents were pitched, the cadets were briefed about what would happen the next day.  They were also given granola bars and juice boxes before retiring to their tents for the night.  Everyone was asleep by 11pm.

            

Reveille the following morning was at 8am.  Everyone slept in sleeping bags on air mattresses.  The only difference was that CI Reid & I slept on cots.  CI Reid & I cleaned up the supply tent and turned it into a makeshift kitchen/mess hall.  Breakfast was held at 9am.  The menu was Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs).  Breakfast concluded at 10am.

            

The main purpose of OHT is for the first & second year cadets to complete a 7km hike.  The second year cadets are required to wear packed rucksacks.  Completing a 7km hike is part of the cadet program.  It gets the cadets ready for more challenging hikes & expeditions later in the program.  The hike would take place after lunch.  With two hours left in the morning, I taught classes on wilderness survival, the phonetic alphabet, and proper radio communication procedures.

            

Everyone got ready after the MRE-themed lunch.  The second year cadets and I would carry juice boxes, granola bars, toilet paper, and garbage bags in our rucksacks.  I also carried GPS, SPOT, binoculars, and a walkie-talkie.  One of the rangers would be coming along with us for polar bear protection.  CI Reid would drive a pickup truck and alert me with his walkie-talkie if there were any problems.  We would be hiking to the First Bridge near the airport because the distance between both bridges was 7km.  Each cadet was given a pair of walking poles for extra assistance. 

            

We began our trek to the First Bridge at around 1:30pm.  The weather was still good; sunny with some clouds in the sky.  The cadets walked in a platoon of six and one acting as the leader.  The ranger & I walked behind the cadets.  I reminded myself to take pictures of the cadets completing the hike for the corps's Facebook page.

            

CI Reid was waiting for us at the halfway point.  We took a long break to give our legs a rest.  While the cadets munched on snacks, I used my binoculars to look out into Adam's Sound.  Narwhal hunting season had just started and I spotted up to seven boats driving around.  I was too far away to hear any gunshots.

            

We continued our trek down the Road to Nanisivik.  The snow covered rocks disappeared and the weather got warmer.  CI Reid drove ahead and waited for us to arrive at the First Bridge.  We passed several Inuit elders picking berries near the road.  When the end was in sight, I ran ahead and photographed the cadets walking across the First Bridge.  CI Reid drove everyone back to the campsite.  (We walked across the two ice patches as a safety precaution).

            

The weather began to change after dinner.  Large dark clouds were rolling in from the northwest and another large grey cloud was moving in from the east.  Several minutes later, snow appeared to be falling from the dark clouds.  CI Reid & the rangers were getting concerned that a blizzard may be on the way.  These concerns made me think.  Was it necessary to cancel the remainder of the FTX and head home?  The schedule called for us to stay until Sunday morning.  Our main objective had been completed and we were just killing time until then.  Being the officer in charge, I had to make an executive decision.

            

The cadets were formed up and I explained that we were going home tonight because of the sudden change of weather.  The tents needed to be disassembled, and everything needed to be loaded onto the trucks before we could leave.  I took a group photo of the cadets before dismissing them.  The arctic wind began to blow as the cadets raced to their tents.  It took about an hour to take down the tents, collect all the garbage, and pack both pickup trucks with everything we brought.  The cadets did a garbage sweep of the area before jumping in the back of the trucks.  Night was beginning to settle as we left the Second Bridge.

            

I successfully drove across both ice patches.  The truck didn't slide.  Light snow was falling when we drove into Arctic Bay.  The cadets were dropped off at their homes with their personal kit.  CI Reid and I would look after Lt. May's trucks until the following morning.  I went to bed that night wondering if I had made the right call.  When I woke up on Sunday morning to see a blizzard rolling through Arctic Bay, I realized the decision I made was indeed the right one.  Operation Hill Top 16 may have been short, but it was a success.

            

"Old Man Winter" returned to Arctic Bay in early October and by Thanksgiving (October 10), the snow was no longer melting.  It was staying on the ground and turning the brown landscape white. 

            

Suzanne, a nurse at the health centre, organized a potluck Thanksgiving dinner and I was on the guest list.  Unfortunately, I had too much school work to do.  I needed the time to prepare two European imperialism tests for my Grade 11 students.  I could not use the tests I used in previous years.  In short, I was starting from scratch.  Blank copies of the tests, answer keys, and review packages all needed to be created.  I thanked Suzanne for the invitation but politely declined to attend.  I did go over to her place an hour before the dinner to drop off my edible contributions.  A plate of food, wrapped in tinfoil, was brought to me as I was working on the tests.  The meal kept me focused and my hunger satisfied.