Christmas 2021

Christmas decorations were put up inside Inuujaq School at the beginning of December.  A very long colourful chain hung from the ceiling of the main hallway, stretching from the high school wing all the way to the elementary wing.  The chain was constructed in sections and then joined together.  I filmed a short video of the completed chain for the school’s Facebook group.  Several classes decorated their doors.  A corner Christmas display, featuring a tree and stockings with the names of staff, was put together by the student support assistants (SSAs).  The decorations keep the atmosphere festive and takes peoples’ minds off the fact that it’s dark season. 

The staff potluck dinner was held after school on December 10.  The staff transformed the high school science room into a dining room with decorations, coloured table cloths, and a Christmas tree.  Staff and invited guests brought whatever they could offer.  My offer was cheese & crackers.  I know that sounds lame, but these were high quality cheese & crackers.  I quickly photographed the food on display before the event began.

The principal welcomed everyone and an Elder blessed the food.  People lined up with their plates.  I was one of the last people in line.  Previous staff dinners taught me there is always plenty of food.  I loaded my plate with various meats, salads, stuffing, and a few cheese & crackers.  The food was so good I had a second helping.

Staff who participated in Secret Santa handed out their final gifts to the people they picked from a draw at the beginning of the week.  After that, we put the science room back the way it was.  Leftover food was divided and taken home.

Unfortunately, the school did not organize a Christmas concert this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.  Curse you COVID-19!  There’s always next year.

High school final exams were held on December 10, 13, and 14.  Teachers spent the next two days grading the exams and completing report cards.

The last day of school was December 17.  Santa came to Inuujaq School after lunch to hand out presents to all the students and pose for photographs.  I was the school’s photographer.  Once Santa was finished visiting a class, that class was dismissed for the Holidays.  The presents were collected and sent by Northern Canada Mini Projects.  Students also received their report cards.

Everyone wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  School was finished by 3pm.

I flew down south this year for the Holidays to visit my parents.  The journey south was mostly uneventful; I just had to overnight in Iqaluit.      

That’s all I have to say about the month of December.  I’ll be taking a short break from my blogging duties and will return in the new year.               

See you all in 2022!

 

Parents Night & Candy Toss

December began with a Parents Night parade.  The army cadets of 3045 corps assembled at the gym on the evening of December 1 and transformed it into a parade square.  Chairs, tables, and flags were set up.  One table in the far corner was designated the reception table and the cadets did a great job setting up the hot water, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice boxes, napkins, and paper plates & cups.  A cadet parent brought homemade donuts & cupcakes.  I brought down the awards, badges, and promotions just a few minutes before the start of the parade.  Best to leave them last so they don’t distract the cadets during setup.

The parade began at 6:30pm.  Everyone was required to wear facemasks.  I marched into the gym and took my position front & centre.  The General Salute and O Canada were played.  The cadet parade commander escorted me through the ranks for inspection.  The cadets then demonstrated the marching drill by doing a March Past around the gym.  The cadets stood easy and I continued the parade with a short welcome speech to the audience.

Level 3 Marksmanship Recipient.

Silver Fitness Recipient.

The presentations came next.  I started with the Marksmanship level badges.  One cadet received a Level 2 and three cadets received Level 3.  (Level 4 is the highest).  Physical Fitness badges were next.  There are four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Excellence.  One cadet earned Bronze, one cadet earned Silver, two cadets received Gold, and two cadets achieved Excellence. 

The next presentation was a retelling of the past; the winners of the Fall Biathlon in October.  The cadets already knew who won, but this was the first time I could announce and congratulate the winners at an official parade.  The cadets who participated in the competition were organized into groups based on their training star years.  Three groups were created: Red, Silver, and Gold.  Or, put in another way: Year 2s, Year 3s, and Year 4s.  I called out the three winners individually and awarded them t-shirts. 

Winner of the Silver Star Fall Biathlon group. 

Winner of the Major General Howard Award.

The next award was the Major General Howard Award, that “recognize[s] the cadet in each province and territory who has achieved the highest results in the 4^th year Gold level training[.]”  Only 13 medals are giving out each year.  I was proud to announce that a 4^th year cadet from 3045 was the recipient of this year’s medal for all of Nunavut.  He was surprised when I called out his name, but was proud of himself for earning the medal.  I presented the medal to him and we both posed for a photograph.

Promotions to Master-Corporal.

Promotion to Sergeant.

I saved the promotions for last.  Three cadets were promoted to the rank of Master-Corporal and one cadet advanced to the rank of Sergeant.  The newly promoted Sergeant received a red sash to wear.  The newly promoted cadets were all smiles . . . at least I think they were . . . under their facemasks. 

The parade moved to the Closing Remarks.  I thanked the corps sponsors for sponsoring the corps – see what I did there? – the audience for showing their support, and congratulated the cadets for their performance.  The cadets did an Advance In Review Order.  General Salute and God Save The Queen were played.  I marched out of the gym.  The cadets were dismissed.

A group photo of me standing with the cadets was taken.  The cadets were dismissed to the reception table.  I was last to take a donut, cupcake, and juice box, because that’s what officers do.  Reception lasted 20 minutes.  The cadets & I cleaned the gym.  I congratulated the cadets for a successful parade and sent them home.

December 8 was the last day of cadets for the year 2021.  It was a fun day and the cadets were allowed to wear their civilian clothing.  They played sports for most of the night.  I reserved the last 20 minutes of the night for the candy toss.  I brought my leftover Halloween candy and filled a large bucket to the brim.  The cadets placed several mattresses together to form a large square.  Large plastic Ziploc bags were handed out and the cadets stood around the square with their shoes off.  Once everyone was ready, I dumped the candy onto the mattresses from the second-floor mezzanine.  The cadets rushed into the centre as soon as the candy hit.  Everything was claimed after a minute.

The cadets helped me put away the mattresses.  I formed them up one last time to wish them a safe Christmas and Happy New Year.  I dismissed them for the rest of the month.  Cadets would start up again in early January.