AWG 2018 & Spring Break

The sporting festivities continued after the Olympics because another major sporting event occurred from March 18 – 24.  The 2018 South Slave Arctic Winter Games were co-hosted by the towns of Hay River & Fort Smith, Canada.  This was the first time the games were hosted in the South Slave Region.

The AWG began in 1970 and is considered the Olympics of the circumpolar world.  Athletes from nine contingents participate in the games held every two years.  These contingents are: Alaska, Greenland, Northern Alberta, Northwest Territories, Nunavik, Nunavut, Sapmi People, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and Yukon.  The games feature competitions in 18 sporting disciplines, such as: Alpine Skiing, Dene Games, Badminton, Dog Mushing, Snowboarding, and Volleyball.

This year’s mascot was the snowy owl, named Kechi, meaning ‘The Messenger’.  The theme song for the games was “Be The Ones”, co-written and recorded by Canadian musician Serena Ryder.  The games’ slogan this year was “Find Your Power”.  And the bronze, silver, and gold medals were designed as small ulus.

            

Team Nunavut: Arctic Bay contingent.

Arctic Bay sent 16 athletes plus a coach to the AWG.  They competed in a variety of sporting disciplines.  Quite a few of them are current & former students of mine, as well as members of the cadet corps.  Naturally, they were all very excited to be competing in the games and representing their community & territory.  The official Nunavut team jackets were yellow, complemented by red, blue, & white hats & scarves that strangely resembled the Union Jack.

            

JF kept everyone up to date by creating a large wall display in the high school section of Inuujaq School.  He posted schedules, pictures, newspaper articles, and the medal count for the Nunavut team.  At the conclusion of the games, Nunavut’s medal count stood at: 15 gold, 17 Silver, and 23 Bronze.  One of the gold medals was won by a student of mine, Crystal.  She competed in the junior women’s snow snake competition and set a new throwing record at 335 feet! 

Team Nunavut placed 7^th overall.  The winner of this year’s games was Alberta North with a total medal count of 133.

The Arctic Bay athletes returned to a hero’s welcome on March 28.

C-17 Globemaster

C-17 Globemaster

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the Welcome Back ceremony at the community hall because I was down south in Winnipeg, MB, attending a commanding officers meeting.  I flew the “scenic route” to Winnipeg, stopping in Iqaluit & Ottawa first.  When I was passing through Iqaluit, I saw a C-17 Globemaster parked outside on the tarmac.  The C-17 most likely came from CFB Trenton, Ontario.  I was travelling in my CADPAT uniform and wondered whether I could sneak onboard and convince the pilots to give me a lift to Winnipeg?  Ultimately, I decided against it and boarded my First Air flight to Ottawa.

            

Winnipeg Airport runway lights.

Officers representing various corps in the Northwest Region attended the planning sessions & workshops.  I happened to be the officer who travelled the furthest.  Topics of learning & discussion included: recruiting staff & cadets, dispute resolution, and the Defence Ethics Program.

            

Flying back to Arctic Bay proved to be an adventure of its own.  The original flight plan had me flying north to Churchill, Manitoba, then onwards to Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, followed by flying east to Iqaluit.  Everything seemed normal when the First Air plane took off into the clear blue sky.  However, about halfway into the flight, the captain announced that Rankin Inlet was experiencing blizzard-like conditions.  The plane still landed in Churchill but passengers travelling onwards would have to wait.  The airline was hoping the weather would clear up.

            

This was my first time in Churchill, Manitoba.  The weather was fine & sunny.  I went inside the terminal and took pictures.  The town is in the heart of polar bear country.  A large polar bear skin on display emphasized this point.  Unfortunately, the weather in Rankin Inlet did not improve and the flight was cancelled.  Passengers were given the option to wait until tomorrow or board the return flight to Winnipeg.  I chose the return flight.  My visit to the Churchill Airport lasted 3 hours.  Blizzards in Rankin Inlet tend to last a couple of days, so I didn’t want to get stranded there.  Even if I did choose to continue, I wouldn’t miss any teaching days because spring break had just started.    

I stayed an extra day in Winnipeg before being booked on a flight to Ottawa.  From there, I flew up to Iqaluit and stayed there for three days.  I spent time with my older brother and parents, who happened to be visiting the territorial capital for a week.  I made sure to have a shawarma before flying back to Arctic Bay.  My suitcase was filled with school supplies.

Drop The Pop & Certificates

March 19 – 23 was Drop The Pop Week.  The educational campaign encourages students & their families to lower their consumption of sugary drinks and make healthier food choices.  Some of these choices include: drinking more water, eating healthier foods including country food, and maintain consistency with a healthy food plan.

            

The school held a community breakfast on the morning of Thursday, March 22.  The staff arrived just before 8am to prepare the food and get the gym ready.  Much of the food was provided by the local Co-op store but the Breakfast Coordinator also made loaves of bread & pancakes.  I helped out in the Home Ec Room, cutting apples and slices of cheese.  I then walked over to the gym to set up chairs and arrange many rows of juice boxes.  When the food was ready, it was brought over to the gym in bowls and trays.  We quickly prepared many plates of food to distribute during the assembly.  We didn’t want to keep the students & parents waiting.

            

Everyone was called down to the gym at 9:15am.  Classes brought their Drop The Pop posters and taped them at the front of the gym.  Once everyone was gathered, the assembly began with a welcome statement from the principal and a prayer made by an elder.  The staff then distributed the many plates of food to everyone.  Everyone enjoyed the breakfast.

            

The Grade 7 teacher receiving her certificate.

Piuyuq receives her certificate
for 35 years of service.

Our superintendent happened to be in town, visiting our school during Drop The Pop Week.  I didn’t know that he was here to hand out Certificates of Appreciation to the staff until he began speaking into the microphone.  The certificates, presented in a formal blue folder, recognize the many years of service given by teachers.  Most of us were called up, one by one, to receive our certificate and have our picture taken with the superintendent.  We were publicly recognized for putting in 5, 10, 15, 20, and 35 years of teaching!  I received a 5-year certificate.  Piuyuq, the Grade 1 teacher, received an extended applause for her 35 years of service.

            

Two middle school students were also called up to the front to receive prizes for having their fire prevention drawings selected to be featured in a calendar.  Fire Prevention Week happened in late February. 

A middle school student receives a Northern Store gift card.

Pancakes, Coins, & Big Brother

Several military personnel arrived in Arctic Bay to participate in an Arctic Operations Advisor Course (AOAC).  The course is based in Resolute but participants travel to several places in the high arctic to complete the training.  I haven’t attended the course myself but based on research, the course teaches soldiers how to survive & operate in extreme cold environments.  The Rangers play a key role in delivering the training because their ranks are filled by Inuit, and Inuit have survived in the high arctic for millennia.  I believe the course lasts for several weeks.

            

One of the soldiers was a Sergeant (Sgt) from the Royal Regiment of Canada.  3045 Army Cadet Corps is affiliated with the Royal Regiment.  We communicated through electronic correspondence and organized a meet & greet with the cadets.  He also stated that the military wanted to prepare breakfast for the school.  I spoke with the Breakfast Coordinator and Principal, and got their approvals for March 8.

            

I woke up really, really early on Thursday, March 8 and drove to Inuujaq School to let the soldiers in at 6am.  They drove in a convoy of 4 Arctic Cat skidoos and sleds.  I helped them carry everything down to the Home Ec room.  The Sgt said they had brought enough food to feed the school twice.  He added that anything that wasn’t used would be donated to the school.

            

The four soldiers immediately went to work preparing a large pancake breakfast for 235 students.  They also prepared orange juice and set out bottles of 100% Pure Maple Syrup.  They had one large box full of wrapped butter.  The blocks of butter looked like gold.  By the time the bell rang at 8:40am, breakfast was ready.  The students were surprised to see soldiers in the Home Ec Room but were excited to see pancakes for breakfast.  The soldiers were thanked for their hospitality during morning announcements.  The Breakfast Coordinator personally thanked them for the leftover pancake supplies.

            

The Sgt and a captain from the AOAC visited the cadet corps on the afternoon of Saturday, March 10.  We were in the school’s gym playing sports.  The cadets were called to the centre of the gym and instructed to take a seat and listen to the Sgt and Captain explain why they were in Arctic Bay.  The Sgt & Captain gave a brief overview of the AOAC and answered questions from the cadets.  After the short presentation the cadets convinced the two visitors to play some sports with them.

            

The Sgt gave out Royal Regiment coins to all the cadets.  We all posed for a group photograph.  There is a game associated with the coins.  The game works as a challenge.  You show your coin and then demand that the person you’re challenging show you their coin.  If they can’t produce it, they owe you a can of pop (soft drink).  If they do show you their coin, you owe them a can of pop.  I should point out that you can only challenge those who possess the same coins.

            

And finally, Big Brother has come to Inuujaq School!  I walked into the school’s library one afternoon and saw 38 new security cameras spread across three tables.  There were also six loudspeakers and two large coils of white wires nearby.  The school’s security system was getting a major upgrade.  I assumed this was brought on by the recent losses of schools in Cape Dorset & Kugaaruk due to arson.  Once the cameras are up and running, the school will feel safer and more secure.