Year End Festivities (2024)

The school year was near its end with the arrival of June.  The last few days of school are about winding things down, getting report cards done & distributed, and celebrate the end of another school year.  The celebrations occur on the last two days.

The year end festivities began with the Year End Assembly on June 3.  First on the program was Kindergarten Graduation.  The kindergarteners lined up outside the gym wearing their blue graduation gowns.  The Acting Principal welcomed everyone in attendance and called on the kindergarten teacher to begin the graduation ceremony.  The teacher introduced the graduates individually and they entered the gym one at a time and took a seat at the front of the gym.  The audience applauded each entrance.  The teacher gave each kindergartener a graduation certificate.  The class had their picture taken in front of a large congratulatory banner.  The parents, guardians, and relatives of the students were very delighted.

The assembly continued with the Acting Principal giving thank you gifts to the teachers & staff who would not be returning next school year.  She wished them all the best in their future endeavours.

The next part of the assembly was the best attendance awards for students.  Students in each class with perfect attendance for the month of May were called up to receive certificates and have their pictures taken.  Then came the year end best attendance draw.  The school bought year end prizes, bikes for elementary grades, and electronics for middle & senior grades.  Students who achieved best attendance throughout the year had their names entered into a year end draw.  Four lucky students had their names drawn.

The last part of the assembly was a square dance put on by students to recognize & honour the decades years of service of two senior Inuit teachers.  They watched the performance with delight and thanked the students for the kind gesture.                

The last day of school for students was June 4.

Students & teachers did a garbage cleanup of the school yard in the morning.  Snow had melted weeks ago, revealing litter everywhere.  Everyone was given gloves & several black garbage bags.  We picked up as much trash as possible.  Taking care of the land fits into the IQ Principle of Avatimik Kamattiarniq (Environmental Stewardship).

The afternoon saw students & teachers participate in a round robin of outdoor games and barbecue.  Parents & guardians were also invited to the barbecue.  The school’s Events Committee planned this event.  Food & juice boxes were ordered in advance.  The committee put up a sign-up sheet in the main office for staff to select a station they wanted to run.  There were 7 stations, one of which was the barbecue.  Several high school students volunteered to do the food preparation.  I created the rotating schedule for classes.  Each class spent 15 minutes at each station.

I walked around making sure the stations were running smoothly and on time.  From what I observed and photographed, everyone appeared to be having a good time.  The activities & BBQ came to an end at 3:30pm and students were dismissed from school for the summer.  I think I heard a few students shout, “Freedom!”.  Students will return to school in August.  A few high school students stayed behind to help staff clean up the food station.

The last day for staff was June 5.  Teachers spent the day cleaning their classrooms, throwing out stuff they didn’t need, removing posters from walls, and moving classroom furniture into corners so the custodians could clean the floors over summer.  A year-end get together was held in the gym with food prepared by the local hotel.  The Acting Principal gave a short speech, thanking everyone for working hard and making the school year a success.  The staff took a group photo at the end of the get together.  The staff who weren’t returning next year returned their school keys to the main office.  Everyone wished each other a safe & happy summer.

I stayed in town for three more days to clean my place and pack for my trip down south.  I flew down south on June 8. 

With summer vacation in full swing, I’ll be taking a short break from my blogging duties. 

See you all in August! 

High School Graduation 2024

Inuujaq School held its high school graduation on May 31.  The High School Graduation Committee (HSGC) spent a great deal of time assisting the four graduates in organizing their perfect day.  Work started months in advance.  A lot of pieces need to come together and work to guarantee a successful & memorable ceremony.  Just off the top my head, there are invitations, a program, gowns, decorations, grad rings, theme song(s), awards, food, grad cake, photographs, transportation, speeches, assembling helpers, and fundraising.  There are a lot of things that happen behind the scenes. 

The morning & afternoon of May 31 were spent decorating the community hall.  This was done high school students & teachers.  I borrowed a pickup truck from Frank and transported the decorations & kitchenware.  I had to make two trips.  Everything was done & ready to go for the evening celebration.

I arrived at the community hall at 5:30pm.  I walked around and took pictures of the decorated hall.  The decorators did a great job.  The windows were covered in stars.  A red carpet led from the back of the hall to the stage, passing under a white arch covered in balloons.  The stage was covered with gold, black, & silver balloons, stars, and golden drapes.  The names of the four graduates were pasted to the backwall.  Four chairs with white seat covers sat on stage.  To the right was the podium.  In front of the stage were four rows of tables & chairs, laid out for the graduation dinner.  The chairs also had white seat covers.  We expected around 40 – 60 guests for dinner.

More people began arriving a few minutes after I did.  Everyone came in formal attire.  The graduates spent extra time getting prepared. 

Dinner began at 6:30pm.  The emcees introduced the grads, and they walked down the red carpet to their seats while the audience applauded.  An Elder then blessed the food and the graduates got in line first to receive their meals.  Everyone else followed.  The food was prepared & served by the head chef & kitchen staff of the local Taqqut Inns Hotel, formally known as Tangmaarvik Inn.  The menu consisted of a delicious assortment of meats, salads, vegetables, and desserts.  I had two helpings.  Dinner lasted an hour.

The next 30 minutes were spent clearing the tables, folding & putting away the tables, and rearranging the chairs to face the stage for the graduation ceremony.  Any leftover food that hadn’t been served was placed in the main hallway for anyone to take home.  More guests arrived and helped with the cleanup and rearrangement.

The graduation ceremony began at 8pm with everyone standing for the arrival of the graduates.  The graduates were individually escorted to the stage by a local RCMP officer while their chosen theme song played on loudspeakers.  The audience filmed the introduction on their phones, clapped, and cheered.  The graduates took their seats on stage and the music gradually faded out.  The emcee welcomed everyone, and an Elder opened the ceremony with a prayer.  This was followed by another Elder lighting the ceremonial qulliq.  Everyone then took their seats.

The Acting Principal continued the ceremony with a prepared speech.  She congratulated the graduates for completing high school and encouraged them to pursue post-secondary education.  The emcee translated the speech into Inuktitut.  The Acting Principal then called on each graduate to receive their diploma.  The graduates were all smiles when they posed for photographs.  A representative from the local District Education Authority (DEA) also spoke, followed by congratulatory messages from the superintendent, MLA David Akeeagok, and federal MP Lori Idlout.  They wanted to attend but were unable to due to other commitments, so their messages were read by school administration.

The next section of the ceremony were the awards.  There were five this year: Governor General’s, Hamlet of Arctic Bay, Volunteer Achievement, Athletic Achievement, and Inuktitut Language.  I presented the Volunteer Achievement Award.  The winning graduates received a certificate and photo.  In the case of the Governor General’s Award, the winning graduate also received a medal. 

The graduates were given the opportunity to address the audience.  The graduates had elected one of them to be the valedictorian.  She addressed the audience in Inuktitut & English, thanking teachers, friends, and family for supporting her & the graduates, and encouraged any students in the audience to finish high school.  The other graduates capitulated to encouragement from the audience and said a few words of their own.

Parents, relatives, and friends were invited to address the graduates & audience.  Several did come up on stage to offer their personal congratulations & thanks.

The Acting Principal was the last to speak, doing the Closing Remarks, thanking everyone involved and wishing the graduates all the best.  The closing theme song began to play, and the graduates stood up to exit.  The RCMP led the graduates out of the hall while the audience clapped & cheered.

The four graduates assembled in the main hallway behind a large table where the two graduation cakes sat.  Behind them was a large congratulatory mural prepared by the Grade 2 class.  The graduates had their pictures taken cutting the cakes.  They set aside pieces for themselves and then served the remaining cakes to the people in attendance.  I managed to get a small piece.

I personally congratulated each graduate for completing high school & receiving their diplomas.  They went over to a decorated wall that had been prepared for portraits to be taken.  While the hired photographer took photos, Hamlet staff began cleaning up the hall.  I got a few volunteers to help me load the pickup truck with all the equipment & items that needed to be returned to school.  A few teachers followed me to school and helped me carry everything inside.  I then returned the truck to Frank.  As for the graduates, they continued celebrating into the night with an evening dance.

Operation Spring Fix 24 – Part 3

Sunday’s reveille was at 8am, but I woke up early.  Officers are supposed to do that.  Lead by example and follow the rule of “time appreciation”.  I walked around the cabin and tent to get some exercise and scout for possible hungry polar bears.  Thankfully, there were none.  I woke up the cadets and they slowly got ready.  MREs were prepared & consumed for breakfast.  Breakfast lasted an hour.  The cadets & I spent the next hour cleaning the cabin, packing our gear, and disassembling the green tent.

I drove up to the main camp site to meet with the Canadian Ranger and hired adult driver.  They were cleaning out their tents.  I briefly went over the plan for the day and then returned to the cabin to brief the cadets.  I brought the cadets over to the main camp site so they could fish one last time.  The fishnets would remain in the lake and the Canadian Ranger would return to Ijuyuarjuk in a few days to pull them out and retrieve the fish he caught.

The cadets & I returned to the cabin and packed the wooden qamutik.  The Ranger instructed me to leave several boxes of MREs in the cabin for future visitors.  This would reduce the amount of stuff to bring back and help any stranded hunters.  A senior cadet wrote “Free food” on the boxes in Inuktitut & English.  The cadets did a garbage sweep around the cabin and where the green tent once stood.  We returned to the main camp site.  I drove my skidoo and pulled the qamutik with the cadets riding on top.

The cadets packed the remaining two qamutiks that would be pulled by the Ranger & adult driver.  I had the adult driver take a few pictures of the cadets & I standing in front of the mountains at Ijuyuarjuk.  The cadets divided themselves among the 3 qamutiks and the convoy began the trek back to Arctic Bay.

A rather strong wind blowing south greeted us as we began driving north on the main skidoo trail in Admiralty Inlet.  Normally, this would be an annoyance, but for me, this was perfect considering the overheating problem my 600 EFI Backcountry Skidoo gave me on Friday.  Driving into the wind provided additional cooling to the hardworking skidoo engine, greatly lessening the chance of overheating.

The next few hours went by without incident.  They were spent driving and listening to the continuous monotone droning sound of my skidoo.  I kept myself focused by looking ahead, left, right, and behind.  I had a few cadets riding on top of the qamutik I was pulling, and I didn’t want to leave them behind if they fell off.  I also had to look behind because my snowmobile didn’t have rearview mirrors.  The weather was perfect despite the strong wind.  The sky was mostly blue and the sun was shining brightly in the sky.

The convoy stopped near Iqalulik, a secluded fishing lake closer to Arctic Bay.  I had driven by it several times but haven’t camped there yet.  I’ve been told it’s a great place to catch Arctic char.  The Ranger needed to make a detour here for an hour and took a few cadets with him.  He instructed the adult driver & I to continue north and he would meet up with us near the Qikirtaukkat Islands.  They’re a pair of islands south of Cape Cunningham and a good indicator that you’re getting close to Adam’s Sound.  The adult driver was armed with a hunting rifle so I didn’t object to this arrangement.

The adult driver & I continued driving north.  The cadets with us enjoyed the scenic views while riding in the qamutiks.  The adult driver made a detour to shoot a large seal that was sunbathing on the ice.  He landed a successful hit, and we drove up to see the catch.  A few cadets helped in tying the seal to the front of the adult driver’s qamutik.

We made it to the Qikirtaukkat Islands and stopped for a snack break.  The cadets prepared the remaining MREs.  The adult driver showed me his DJI drone and flew it around the area recording footage of the land.  A high school student happened to be returning from a hunt, and he stopped to see how we were doing.  The adult driver gave him the seal he shot because the high school student was hunting food to feed his dog team.  Eventually, the Canadian Ranger arrived.  We rested some more and then continued the journey home.

The convoy passed Cape Cunningham and turned northeast, proceeding into Adams Sound, the final stretch.  Unfortunately, the main problem I had avoided the entire drive, returned.  There was no wind in Adams Sound, most likely due to the surrounding mountains & high cliffs.  It didn’t take long for my skidoo to begin overheating.  I had to stop several times and wait for the engine to cool down.  I told the Ranger & adult driver to continue, reassuring them I would meet up with them in Arctic Bay.  I had two cadets to help me out.  We finally made it after some time.  One thing was for certain after I stepped off my machine to give the cadets a debriefing: I wasn’t bringing my 600 EFI Backcountry skidoo on a weekend FTX until I could figure out a better cooling method.  Bombardier and the other snowmobile companies don’t really design their machines according to the ways they’re used in the Arctic.  They say they do, but I have doubts, especially after what I just went through.

The Ranger got a pickup truck, and the cadets loaded all the corps equipment we brought and their personal gear.  We drove to Frank’s Shop and put away the corps equipment in a designated sea container.  The Ranger then drove the cadets home.  I thanked him once again for his assistance and he dropped me off in front of the Northern Store.  I drove my skidoo off the ice and parked it in front of my place.  The skidoo driving season was over for me.

Despite the obvious skidoo engine problem, Operation Spring Fix 2024 was a success.  I was glad the cadets & I got the chance to get out on the land, fish, hunt, and experience the real Canadian Arctic.  We all got tans.  I keep forgetting to apply sunscreen.  I hope we’ll be able to the FTX again next year.     

                                                   End of Operation Spring Fix 24 Mini-Series.