The staff Christmas dinner was held on the evening of December 13. The school hired the local hotel to cater the event. Several staff members & I spent time after school turning the gym into a dining hall. Tables & chairs were set up for guests and hotel staff, a Christmas tree was placed at the end of the gym next to the speaker system, and several decorations were put up on walls. The tables were covered in white cloths.
All
school staff and local district education authority (DEA) members were invited
to the event. They were allowed to bring
guests.
Everyone began arriving at 5:30pm wearing casual clothing. I wore my formal work attire. The caterers also arrived and placed all the food & desserts on the line of tables set aside for them. The event began at 6:00pm with introductory speeches from the principal and head of the DEA. An Elder blessed the food and people proceeded to line up to be served food. Someone plugged their iPhone into the speaker system and played Christmas-themed music. I hung back and took photos, waiting for the line to get shorter. There was plenty of food. I filled my plate with roast beef, turkey, ham, stuffing, green peas, and carrots. I’m glad I fasted the entire day. I chose to skip dessert.
The dinner moved on to the Secret Santa game. Participants had brought their final gifts and placed them under the Christmas tree before the start of the event. Now the time had come to guess who their Secret Santas were. Participants had 3 chances to guess. If they guessed correctly, their Secret Santa would come up and present their final gift. If they were unsuccessful, their Secret Santa would reveal their identity and still present their final gift. It’s a win-win.
The second game played was like musical chairs. Small candy canes were placed on the tables that were used to serve food, and participants walked around the tables while Christmas music played. When the music was cut, they had to quickly grab a candy cane. The last person who didn’t was eliminated. The last person standing out of the entire group won a prize.
Several
staff members & I cleaned the gym and put everything away at the end of the
dinner. The event lasted 2 hours and
everyone went home happy.
Students
& teachers of Inuujaq School began preparing for the annual Christmas
Concert in late November. They made
decorations, selected their performance skits, and practiced them in their
classrooms. The Events Committee
prepared the concert programs, recruited two high school students to be the
emcees, and reserved the local community hall for three days in mid-December to
get everything ready. My drummers
assisted me in transporting the instruments & equipment to the community
hall from the school. I was glad one of
Frank’s trucks was available.
The dress rehearsal took place on the afternoon of December 16. The entire student body made their way to the hall after lunch. We went through the entire program. Each class went on stage and practiced their performance to the delight of everyone. The emcees also practiced introducing and congratulating each class. My drummers & I performed our three group pieces, leaving the solos for the actual concert. Everyone was dismissed from the hall at the end of rehearsal.
The Christmas Concert occurred in the evening the follow day. Students & teachers spent the regular school day practicing their performance routines one last time. High School students finished decorating the community hall. Doors opened at 6:30pm and people immediately entered the building dressed in their best clothing. There was plenty of excitement in the air. The hall was packed with people when the concert began at 7:00pm.
The 2 high school emcees welcomed everyone and introduced the first performance. Preschool opened the concert with the song We Wish You A Merry Christmas. They sang it in Inuktitut & English. Kindergarten was next with a skit involving Christmas games. Grade 1 sang a bilingual version of Silent Night. Grade 2 did a Jingle Bells Dance followed by another dance performance by Grade 3. Grade 4 continued the dancing theme with their own performance. Grade 5 sang We Are The World. Grade 6 did a dance where one student was dressed as Santa Claus. Grades 7 & 8 also did dance performances.
I
summoned high school drummers into the lobby of the community hall during the
Grade 7 performance to set up our drums.
We had to be ready to move everything as soon as Grade 8 finished their
set. You don’t want to keep the audience
waiting.
A few people volunteered to help us move our instruments & equipment onto the stage. A lot of kids crowded in front of the stage, eager to see our performance. We quickly set everything up behind the closed curtain. I gave one last encouraging speech to my drummers and told them not to worry. Everything will be fine. We will survive. I signalled the emcees to proceed with our introduction. They said a few words and left the stage. The curtains parted and we were greeted by many excited faces looking at us. At least, I think that’s what I saw. The stage lights shined brightly on our faces. I raised my sticks and clicked 4 times. The first piece began.
We
played three pieces as a drum line. Each
one was about a minute long. The
audience applauded each performance. A
few drummers & I performed short solos.
And just like that, our act came to an end. We were on stage for 6 minutes, but it felt
much shorter. My drummers & I
breathed huge sighs of relief after the curtains closed. We survived with our heads held high.
We
moved our drums & equipment off the stage to make way for Inuujaq School
staff to finish off the concert. The
staff did a Christmas themed skit and then wished everyone a Merry Christmas
and happy new year.
My
drummers & I waited for the audience to leave the community hall so it
would be easier to move all our gear onto the truck I borrowed from Frank. Two drummers came with me to the school to
put everything back in the classroom. I
then returned the truck to Frank.
December 18 was the last day of school before Christmas break. Student & teachers went down to the gym in the morning for 30 minutes of carolling in Inuktitut & English. I projected the lyrics on the walls while a teacher led the students & teachers in singing some classic Christmas carols.
My picture with Santa.
Santa visited Inuujaq School after lunch to give gifts to students & take photos with them. A corner in the main hallway was decorated with a Christmas tree, big chair, and colourful backdrop. Classes were called to this area to receive their gifts and then pose for pictures with Santa. I was one of the photographers. Parents & Guardians also took photos. Classes from kindergarten to Grade 9 received gifts from Santa. High school students received Co-op gift cards from the main office. Classes were dismissed right after their time with Santa. Staff posed for a group photo with Santa before they too were dismissed for Christmas break. We wished each other a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.
Hard
to believe 2024 is already coming to a close.
But that’s the way it is.
See
you all in 2025!
