The Month Of March (2019)

Arctic Bay - March 2, 2019

Sorry for the large gap between this post and the last one but I was pretty busy the entire month.  I also realized the information I collected is enough for one large post instead of writing many smaller ones.  I’m not a fan of writing really short blog posts.  They begin & end too quickly.

            

March 2019 was a hectic month.

            

The teaching staff wanted to know about my trip to Yellowknife.  I told them it was fun and I learned a lot at the course.  They in turn, told me what they did during PD week.  With PD Week now behind everyone, all teachers were required to complete the online substantiation report and submit any receipts.  Nunavut teachers are glad that they can upload scanned receipts to the PD website.  There was a time when we had to mail our receipts to Iqaluit.

            

3045's National Biathlon Team of 2019

3045’s National Biathlon Team left for Prince Edward Island (PEI) at the beginning of March.  The three cadets were all smiles as they stood in their green uniforms, waiting for the First Air plane to arrive.  Frank & I were also there to provide moral support.  Unfortunately, we would not be travelling with them.  I wish I could have gone because I have yet to visit PEI.  They competition lasted a week.  Our cadets didn’t win any medals but at least they had fun and plenty of memories to keep.

            

In the world of academics, my Grade 11 Social Studies students studied Canada’s involvement in the First World War.  My Grade 10 English students read the Canadian novel Lost In The Barrens by Farley Mowat.  They also watched the 1990 TV movie adaptation.  The book was better because the movie left out a lot of good parts.  My Grade 10 Social Studies students learned about the horrors of Canada’s Residential School System.  I made sure to teach the content very carefully because there are plenty of facts & stories that are difficult to handle.  Lastly, my Grade 12 Social Studies students learned about communism, specifically communism in the USSR.  They also began working on their final projects.  Many years ago, the final exam for the course was replaced with a project as the final assessment.  The senior students are required to write an essay on a chosen topic, create an accompanying product of some kind, and then present their findings to a panel of judges.  The presentations will occur in late May & early June.

                     

A high school student competed in the Nunavut Table Tennis Competition in Kugluktuk in the middle of the month.  She played in the U18 Girls Doubles category and did very well, winning one gold and one bronze medals.  She was all smiles when she came back.  The school congratulated her for her achievements and she wore the medals with pride. 

            

High school midterm report cards were also in the middle of the month.  I administered midterm tests rather than exams for my classes.  Tests are usually shorter than exams and sound less stressful . . . to a degree.  Parent teacher interviews were held several days later.  At these meetings, I spoke to parents & guardians about the progress of their children in the class, focusing on attendance, behaviour, work completion, and what they will be learning for the remainder of the semester.

            

At the end of month, 3045 Army Cadet Corps sent a team of cadets down to Iqaluit for a Skills Team Competition.  Turns out there was some extra money lying around and the powers that be needed to spend it somewhere or lose it.  The officers in Winnipeg decided on organizing a competition that satisfies two aims of the cadet program: “promote physical fitness and stimulate the interest of youth in the sea, land and air activities of the CAF – [Canadian Armed Forces].”

            

The last Skills Competition was also held in Iqaluit in 2015.  The one I attended was in 2014 in Rankin Inlet.  (You can revisit that great trip here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).

            

The nine cadets were flown down by charter and were escorted by an officer from Winnipeg.  He happened to be visiting Arctic Bay, checking on the status of the corps.  Since I was not able to escort & supervise the cadets, he graciously volunteered.

            

The competition took place at the 795 Iqaluit Air Squadron Cadet Hall and a local school.  Cadets from Iqaluit, Naujaat, and Arctic Bay were present.  Rankin Inlet was supposed to participate but their flight was cancelled due to poor weather.  The cadets competed in a variety of sports & activities.  There was also a shooting competition.  At night, the Naujaat & Arctic Bay cadets slept at the Personnel Accommodation Barracks (PAB) near the airport.  The cadets also spent some of their free time at the newly built Iqaluit Aquatic Centre.  Judging from the photos I recently received, it looks like everyone had a great time.  They even got to eat shawarmas!

           

The Naujaat & Arctic Bay cadets were flown back to their communities on a Kivalliq Air charter.  My cadets just landed at the airport at the time of this writing.