Easter Fun

The four-day Easter Weekend (March 29 - April 1) was the next big event after the conclusion of the science fair.  Many would spend the long weekend with family and friends.  I didn't have any big plans for the Easter weekend.  I would just take it easy and enjoy the time off.  When I was teaching in Iqaluit, school was dismissed for an entire week.  This enabled teachers & students to do some out-of-town travelling.

            

Just before school was dismissed for the long weekend, Easter themed activities were organized for March 28.  After afternoon recess, all students were instructed to assemble in their spirit teams outside.  My spirit team was Team Rabbit.  Light snow fell to the ground as Iga Muckpa, an Inuit teacher in charge of Spirit Team activities, addressed everyone with a bullhorn.  The first activity was an Easter Egg Hunt.  Hundreds of colourful eggs made out of cardboard paper were hidden on the other side of the school and the challenge was for teams to collect the most.  When Iga said 'Go!' everyone ran to the other side of the school and snatched as many eggs as they could.  Unfortunately, real chocolate eggs couldn't be used because they would have been eaten by ravens.

            

The hunt lasted around five minutes.  Everyone reassembled in front of the gym where Iga counted how many eggs each team collected.  Team Rabbit collected 40 eggs but another team somehow managed to collect 56 eggs and win the challenge!  They were given candy for their achievement.

            

Students get ready for the
egg-n-spoon race.

The activities continued out on the frozen ice in the bay.  Stepping out on the ice for the first time felt somewhat surreal because the distances between natural and man-made landmarks were amplified.  When you look out towards the distant mountains, you really get a sense that you're in the middle of nowhere.  I even felt like I was on the planet Hoth in Star Wars.  As well, everything is much further than it appears.  As for the thickness of the ice . . . it was still thick enough to hold up trucks. 

            

Once everyone had made it to the designated area, all spirit teams lined up to partake in an egg-and-metal-spoon relay race.  Students had to try their best not to drop their white eggs because finding them on the snow covered ice would be difficult.  There was a lot of cheering throughout the race, as students raced back and forth with an egg on a metal spoon.  Of course, there were plenty of moments when eggs had to be retrieved from the snow.  I stayed off to the side and took pictures and short HD videos.  Team Rabbit came close to winning the race.

            

Snow continued to fall as the spirit teams got ready for the next relay race, a combination of running and hopping.  Preschoolers and kindergarteners had to run to a pylon and back while holding a balloon.  Everyone else had to do it while hopping with the balloon between their legs.  The loud motivational cheering was still there but this time there was some laughter sprinkled in.  At the end of the relay race, candy was distributed and consumed.  Several teachers and students stayed behind to clean up while everyone else headed back to school to collect their belongings.  I wished all my students a happy Easter and that I would see them on Tuesday. 

            

Overall, the activities were a nice way for the school to celebrate Easter and to let everyone have a break from the routines of classroom learning.