School Community Picnic

Inuujaq School held an afternoon community picnic at Uluksat Point on August 26.  Everyone was invited to come out, meet the staff, eat tasty BBQ food, and enjoy a variety of Inuit games.  Of course, students and staff would be in attendance.  The local Co-op & Northern Store provided the food, condiments, and juice boxes.  Community members were also invited to bring country food to share.

Planning began immediately after school started.  We had less than two weeks to get everything ready.  The idea for a community picnic in August was actually suggested in April, but there was no time to plan before summer.  Now it was all hands on deck. 

The Events Committee met, drew up a plan, and assigned tasks.  The school bus would transport K-4 classes; everyone else would walk.  Several teachers with vehicles were assigned to transport food, barbecues, and kitchen equipment.  I assisted in the getting the message out by posting Inuktitut & English newsletters on Facebook. 

We started making our way to Uluksat Point in the early afternoon.  I took pictures of students & teachers walking to the point.  Several vehicles slowly passed us the closer we got to the point.  I hoped many people would come to the picnic because a lot of food had been ordered. 

A large sealift vessel happened to be anchored in the bay and the crew were ferrying supplies to shore.  My sealift order was on that ship, but it would have to wait.  (More on this in a future post).

Uluksat Point is a popular picnic and camping.  A few staff members were already working the barbecues, cooking hot dogs & hamburgers.  Many stood in line while others hiked up nearby hills.  I too hiked up a nearby hill to take more photographs.  More people continued to arrive as time passed.  It took some time to get everyone served because we only had two barbecues.  I waited until the end to get a hot dog & hamburger.

K-9 teachers played Inuit games with their students for about an hour.  I walked around and took more photographs.  Adults stood around and chatted.  The principal used a bullhorn to thank everyone for coming to the picnic.  The event finished around 3:45pm.

Staff cleaned up the cooking area and collected garbage, with the assistance of students.  The garbage bags were deposited into two large bins near the point.  The barbecues and cooking equipment were loaded into designated vehicles.  Leftover food was given away.  Students who lived the furthest from Uluksat Point were given priority on the school bus.  The remaining students were driven home by family and relatives.  I helped with moving the barbecues & kitchen equipment back to school.  A staff member then gave me a ride home. 

Overall, I’d say the picnic was success.