Potluck, Final Exams, & Christmas

Christmas was in the air at Inuujaq School, as early as the first week of December.  The hallways were adorned with decorations.  One display had all the staff’s names written on stockings.  Decorating the school is one way to keep everyone happy during dark season.  The sun is long gone and night occupies the day.  Well, mostly.  Arctic Bay still gets a little sunlight at lunchtime but it appears as dawn or dusk.  This only lasts for about 25 minutes and then the darkness returns.

          

The staff held its Christmas potluck dinner on the evening of December 13.  The staff took over the high school science room and turned it into a dining room.  The tables were covered, and decorated with Christmas tree cut-outs.  Green & red streamers hung from the walls and the school’s Christmas tree was brought in from the staff room to serve as the centrepiece.  Extra chairs were borrowed from nearby classrooms.

           

Staff were allowed to bring whatever they wished, minus a few things because of allergies.  You also had to bring your own dishes & cutlery.  My contributions to the diverse menu were expensive cheeses and crackers.  It’ll take too long to list all the items the staff brought so I’ll just say there was more than enough food for everyone.

           

The dinner began at 5:30pm with the blessing of the food by an Elder.  Everyone lined up with plates in their hands.  I filled my plate with ham, turkey, salad, and other things.  The food was delicious.  The potluck ended with staff playing Secret Santa.  A portion of the staff played Secret Santa for the second week of December.  At the potluck dinner, the participants take turns guessing their Secret Santa.  They have three chances and if they don’t succeed, their Secret Santa reveals their identity and gives them their final gift.  (You still get your final gift if you guess correctly).  The potluck ended at 7pm.

           

High School final exams were held on December 12, 13, & 16.  I administered two written exams for my English & Social Studies classes and a final performance test for my drummers.  I started reviewing at the beginning of the month.   The English exam covered the novel study, feature film, oral pieces, and media literacy.  The Social Studies exam covered the First World War and Ultranationalism.  Answer keys made it easier to correct & grade the exams.  I spent the weekend after the potluck, writing my report cards.

I previewed the final cut of the media film project my previous Grade 10 English students worked on in the spring.  The only things I added were music and sound effects.  I used a music program filled with royalty-free sounds & loops.  I also came up with the film’s title: Swings, Sticks, & A Magazine.  Those three items stand out in the short film so I decided to use them as the title.  The students previewed the final cut and gave their approvals.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  I told them the video would be uploaded to the school’s Facebook page over the Christmas break.

Christmas Concert Audience.

Emcee Geela.

The school’s annual Christmas Concert was held on the evening of December 18 at the community hall.  Frank lent me one of his pickup trucks to transport the drums & equipment to the hall in the morning.  The show featured 12 acts.  Doors opened at 6:30pm and the hall was overflowing with people by the time the show began at 7pm.  The Student Support Assistant Geela was the emcee.

Pre-School.

Kindergarten.

Grade 1.

The concert began with the preschool children recreating the Nativity Scene.  The Kindergarten students performed the folk song, “Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed.”  The Grade 1 students sang the Inuit song, “Aittaa Uvanga”.  The Grade 2 class performed a skit titled, “Visitors For The First Time”.  The Grade 3 class sang “Silent Night” in Inuktitut & English.  Their teacher sat onstage and provided instrumental accompaniment on the accordion.  The Grade 4 class performed a square-dance routine to pre-recorded music.  The Grade 5 class performed a skit, titled, “Grandma’s Story.”  The students made a large background canvass to resemble the interior of an igloo. 

Grade 5.

Grade 6.

Grade 6 performed “Cups”, a version of the 1931 Carter Family song “When I’m Gone” using plastic cups and their hands.  They based their performance on the way Anna Kendrick performed the song in the 2012 film Pitch Perfect.  The audio from that scene was played over loudspeakers and the students played along while sitting in a semicircle.

High School Inuit Drummer & Inuit
Culture Teacher.

The Grade 7 class performed a Christmas Facebook Memes skit involving many colourful props & posters.  The memes were written on the posters while the props represented emojis and the Facebook Like button.

The high school Inuit Culture teacher and one of her students performed an Ayaayaaq, a traditional Inuit song.  She sang and he played the Inuit drum.

High School Drumline.

My drummers and I played four pieces as a group.  The four pieces were: “Double It”, “Navigator”, “Sick!”, and “Bumper”.  “Sick!” was written by Alan Keown and the other three were written by Cassidy Byars.  I simplified parts of the pieces to make it easier for my drummers to play.  I didn’t want them to feel overwhelmed during their second concert.  I played bass drum for this performance.  My students appeared confident but I detected some nervousness.  I was nervous too.  Our group performance was well received by the audience.  I was very proud of the drummers.

Two students and I played solos.  The students did a duet on quad toms and I played solo on a snare drum.  My quad students did an excellent job.  I’m certain I made a few mistakes but I acted like nothing bad happened and played all the way to the end.

When the curtains closed, I shook the hands of my drummers and we quickly moved everything off stage.

Christmas Concert Audience.

The school staff finished the concert by doing the “Chicken Dance”.  When the music stopped, the staff wished everyone a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.  I waited until the audience left before loading all the instruments into Frank’s truck.  Two drummers helped me put everything back in my classroom.  I drove them home and then parked the truck at Frank’s place.  I walked home.

The last day of the semester was December 19.  Everyone was congratulated over the PA system for doing excellent performances at the Christmas concert.  The students helped the teachers clean the classrooms.

Carolling was held in the gym after morning recess.  I set up a projector to show the lyrics on the wall for everyone to see.  Doing this saved paper.  I had scanned the lyrics, written in English & Inuktitut, into my computer, several days in advance.  A few high school students also helped me set up the portable sound system.  Carolling lasted until lunch time.

High school students received their report cards after lunch.  Santa came by to visit the younger grades and to give out gifts.  (Santa was actually a staff member in costume but don’t tell the kids that).  Everyone was dismissed early at 3pm.  School would reconvene in the new year.

See you all in the new year & decade!

December Parents Night & The Last Day

The second Parents Night Parade of the 2019-2020 Training Year occurred on December 4.  The cadets were pretty active in the two short months following the first Parents Night that I had another batch of badges, promotions, and awards to hand out.  There were also a few announcements that needed to be heard before the end of the year.

            

I spent extra time preparing the awards because I had the feeling that I wouldn’t have time to do it on the night of the parade.  I placed the badges, promotions, and t-shirts (more on that later) in labelled Ziploc bags.  I also typed up the list of recipients so that I wouldn’t forget their names.  The last thing I did was borrow the school’s portable Phonak speaker and place it in the cadet office.  Phonak speakers enable someone to speak into a microphone without having to yell so that everyone can hear them.

            

Twenty-one cadets & I arrived at the school’s gym an hour early to set up.  I was glad I prepared all the awards the day before.  The cadets handled the chairs, tables, flags, and reception area.  I handled the Phonak speaker, my tablet computer, and the awards.  I plugged the speaker into an outlet at the back of the gym and wirelessly connected my microphone.  I spoke a few words and my voice projected across the entire gym.  I would not have to raise my voice.  My tablet computer was needed to play the Canadian anthem and God Save the Queen.  Having all the awards in Ziploc bags made it easier to bring them all down from the cadet office to the Awards Table.  As soon the cadets saw the bags, they immediately began guessing who was getting what.  The printed awards list was safely tucked inside my pants pocket.      

            

Doors opened at 6:15pm and by 6:30pm we had a large audience.  The Guest Reviewing Officer (GRO) was Arctic Bay resident Mishak Allurut.  He was my Inuktitut teacher when I arrived in the community in 2013.  The Cadet Parade Commander (CPC) sized, dressed, and centered the cadets on parade.  When I saw the cadets were ready, I came to attention at the gym entrance.  The parade began.

            

Mishak inspects the cadets on parade.

Mishak inspects the cadets on parade.

I recruited Frank to be the DJ.  He played the General Salute & O Canada while the CPC & I saluted.  He introduced himself and then escorted Mishak through the ranks.  In the meantime, I gave a brief welcome address to the audience.  The Phonak speaker worked perfectly.  Mishak returned to the front and the CPC did a March Past with the cadets.  I then invited the GRO to address the cadets & audience.  He spoke in Inuktitut & English, praising the cadets for their dress, drill, & deportment, and thanked the audience for supporting the local cadet corps.

            

Level 4 Marksman.

Bronze Level Fitness Cadets.

I continued the parade by calling out the cadets who earned marksmanship badges.  This time around: two cadets achieved Level 1; four cadets achieved Level 2; and one cadet achieved Level 4.  Level 4 is the highest level.  Next came physical training and many cadets were called to receive badges.  Six cadets received Bronze, one cadet received Silver, four cadets received Gold, and two cadets received Excellence.          

            

Excellence Fitness Level Cadet.

Fall Biathlon Winners.

The corps held its annual Fall Biathlon Competition at the end of October.  I announced the winners to the cadets a week later but didn’t give out prizes.  Those were reserved for tonight’s parade.  A quick recap: the cadets competed in three separate groups: First-Years, Second-Years, and Seniors.  The groups had to shoot three relays, but the First-Years only had to run twice.  The other groups had to run three times.  Each run was 1km.  The goal of the competition is to complete the relays & runs in the shortest amount of time.

            

The top First-Year cadet completed his relay in 15 minutes & 41 seconds.  The top Second-Year cadet completed his relay in 24 minutes & 56 seconds.  And the top Senior cadet completed his relay in 21 minutes & 53 seconds.  Their prizes were military themed t-shirts from D-Day Wear.  I bought the shirts at the Scottish Festival in Orillia, Ontario over the summer.

            

Level 2 Marksmanship Cadets.

Gold Level Fitness Cadets.

The parade took on more serious, disappointing, but hopeful tones when I made the first announcement.  The officers-in-charge had made the decision to cancel the Biathlon Competition in Whitehorse because of financial reasons.  Cadet biathlon teams from the territories would have assembled in the city to compete for spots on the national team.  (I went to the competition in February).  Instead, corps were instructed to hold competition at home and the scores would be sent to Winnipeg to be judged.  The best cadets would be selected and sent to Alberta to compete for spots on the national team.  So, basically, 3045 would be holding another “Fall Biathlon” but in January.

            

I felt bad about this because the corps had already chosen a team of eight cadets.  Now that meant nothing and they would have to compete against each other and four other cadets.  There was also the possibility that nobody would be selected for Alberta.  The original team had already been guaranteed the trip to Whitehorse.  Unfortunately, these things happen.  I promised the original eight to make it up to them somehow.  I announced the 12 cadets who would be competing in January.  The additional four cadets were selected on attendance, attitude, and ability.

            

Most Improved Cadet from ACR 2019.

Top Female Athlete from ACR 2019.

The corps holds its Annual Ceremonial Review Parade in mid-April.  It’s the year-end parade where many awards are handed out.  The top awards are: Most Improved Cadet; Best Boots & Deportment; Top Female & Male Cadets; and Top Cadet.  The winners have their names placed on trophies and plaques.  Unfortunately, it takes longer for the name tags to arrive from the south.  They finally arrived in time for the December Parents Night Parade.  I called up the five winners from April 2019 to receive their trophies & plaques again, but to add their name plates to them. 

            

Cadet to Lance Corporal.

From Lance Corporals to Corporals.

I promoted six junior cadets.  One cadet advanced to the rank of Lance Corporal.  Four Lance Corporals advanced to the ranks of Corporal.  And one Corporal advanced to the rank of Master Corporal.  They were all smiles when their names were called and when their pictures were being taken.

            

The last announcement I made was about the marksmanship team tryouts in January.  The top 10 cadet shooters would compete for five spots on the team.  The competition is similar to biathlon except there’s no running, and the plinker targets are replaced with regular targets.  I called up the ten chosen cadets to be congratulated for being selected.

            

Frank did the Closing Remarks, thanking everyone involved with the cadet corps in some capacity.  The GRO & I stood at the front while the CPC & cadets did the Advance in Review Order.  We remained standing for the General Salute & God Save The Queen.  The GRO & I then marched out of the gym.  The CPC dismissed the cadets, signalling the end of the parade.  The audience applauded.

            

The corps posed for a group photo.  I dismissed the cadets to the reception.  They reception lasted for 20 minutes.  The cadets then changed out of their uniforms and helped me clean up.  We were out of the gym by 8:30pm.

            

The last day of cadets for 2019 was December 11.  The cadets played games & sports.  The night ended with a candy toss.  I used my leftover Halloween candy but also bought several extra boxes at the Northern Store.  The candy filled two large buckets.  The cadets were instructed to form a large square using blue mattresses.  They removed their shoes and stood around the square.  I handed out large Ziploc bags and then walked up to the mezzanine floor overlooking the gym.  Once everyone was ready, I & another staff member, dumped the candy into the square.  The cadets immediately ran into the middle and collected as much as possible.  No one was injured and the candy quickly disappeared.  The cadets labelled their bags and helped me put away the mattresses.  I wished them all a safe Christmas & Happy New Year.  They were dismissed for the rest of the month.        

QIA Meeting & Ransomware Update

Sorry about the two-week delay.  I’ve decided to summarize all that's transpired during the second half of November.

           

Since moving to Arctic Bay in 2013, I have learned when to expect the freezing of the large bodies of water around the community.  I don’t get out on the ice with my skidoo until November and even then, it’s only within the bay.  The more experienced hunters & fishers travel beyond the confines of Arctic Bay before the end of the year.  They’ve described what the conditions are but I’ve never seen them with my own eyes.  I got my chance in the middle of the month.

            

Arctic Bay. November 13, 2019.

I was flying south on personal business.  The plane took off in the direction of the town, north, then turned around and flew south towards Iqaluit.  I had a window seat and happened to be sitting on the left side of the plane.  My camera was at the ready and I snapped several photographs of the area below, hoping I had at least one good picture.  Thankfully, I did.  Turns out the ice is more visible beyond the bay.  You can still see the cracks.  The ice is thick enough to support skidoos but be careful nonetheless.  In sharp contrast, the ice within the bay is covered with snow.

            

The plane flew with Adams Sounds on the left side.  I took a photograph of the spot where I saw open water in late April.  (I was on my way to revisit the rocky Pond Inlet Shortcut).  I knew it was the same spot because there was still open water.  The ice hadn’t completely formed.  Forms late, melts early, I thought.

            

Aqsarniit Hotel & Conference Centre under construction.

While I was passing through Iqaluit in both directions, I photographed a new hotel being constructed near the airport, Big Racks Restaurant, and the Iqaluit deep sea port from a distance.  The territorial capital has been suffering a shortage of hotel rooms but thankfully, two new hotels are currently under construction.  I only had time to see the Aqsarniit Hotel & Conference Centre.  Big Racks suffered a fire at the beginning of the month.  The cause it still under investigation.  The building is still standing but the windows and doors are boarded up.  I’ve never been inside the restaurant but I have eaten their food.  Big Racks provided food to First Air flights.  The deep sea port is slowly taking shape.  Construction appears to be halted for the winter.

            

Iqaluit's deep-sea port under construction.

Representatives from the Qikiqtani Inuit Assocation (QIA) visited Arctic Bay on November 19 to give a presentation titled, “Highlights of the Tallurutiup Imanga and Tuvaijuittuq Agreements.”  QIA was touring five communities directly affected by these agreements.  Arctic Bay was the third community on the tour.  QIA was here around the same time last year to talk about the progress being done on these agreements between the Inuit & Federal Government.  A lot of work has been done in the last year.  In April, QIA, Government of Nunavut, and Federal Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding.  Then on August 1, interim protection for Tuvaijuittuq was announced.  Tuvaijuittuq means “the place where the ice never melts.”  The whole document was also signed by all parties involved.

            

Paper copies of the slides, information cards, and pamphlets were available to attendees.  I got copies of each because I teach social studies and I’ll most likely be reviewing these agreements with my future students.  They affect the community and surrounding areas.

            

The presentation was a standard affair.  The presenters showed 14 slides, read them in both languages, and explained how the initiatives within the agreement would be implemented.  The most important components were the financial investments: “$54.8 million in Inuit Stewards Program investments” and “over $190 million in infrastructure investments.”  I was glad to see a lot of money was set aside for infrastructure.  I’ve reported before that Nunavut’s infrastructure is severely behind the rest of Canada.  I think the main reason behind this is the lack of understanding from the Federal Government, past & present, that anything & everything costs way more up North to build and operate.        

It appears Arctic Bay & Clyde River will be getting a small craft harbour some time in the future.  Those projects alone will probably cost between $30 – 40 million dollars each.  The one in Pangnirtung cost $40.5 million to complete.  Regardless, small craft & deep-sea harbours are needed in all northern communities. 

The following links better explain the Tallurutiup Imanga and Tuvaijuittuq Agreements:

1. Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area Inuit Impact & Benefit Agreement

2. Messagefrom Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – August 1, 2019

3. Tallurutiup Imanga & Tuvaijuittuq Agreements – QIA – August 6, 2019

I left before the presentation ended.  There was no feast but QIA did offer snacks, tea, and coffee to attendees.   

It’s been two weeks since the ransomware attack on the Government of Nunavut’s computer system and things are slowly getting back to normal.  Computer technicians did come to Arctic Bay and rebooted all the computers in the school, health centre, and Hamlet Office.  The working atmosphere in the school felt like the 1980s before the reboot.  Staff had to rely on fax machines, paper, and phone calls to keep “the system” working.  I ended up buying a Wingle stick from Qiniq to be able use my own internet at school.  I’ll admit having the portable stick makes internet access much easier & faster.  Unfortunately, the Wingle only works in Nunavut.  In the past, before Qiniq upgraded to 4G, if you were travelling to another community and wanted to use your own internet, you had to bring your large black Motorola router with you.     

Microsoft Corp. recently announced they’re helping the Government of Nunavut with the recovery of its computer systems by sending its Detect and Response Team (DART).  The team “arrived with tools specifically designed for them to bring the GN’s systems back online.  The network will also be upgraded, featuring “Microsoft’s latest software[,] cloud data storage[,] and advanced cybersecurity.”  If all goes well, the new system will be robust, reliable, and secure for many years.  Hopefully hackers won’t figure out how to bypass everything before the next upgrade.  It’s a never-ending war in cyberspace.