My 300th post!
Light snow on the
ground greeted everyone on the morning of October 1. Winter was here or just around the corner. It was still too early to tell if the snow
would stay or melt. We would know for
sure by midday. The water in the bay was
still in liquid form. The bays &
inlets usually begin to freeze in early to mid-October.
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| New fire hall construction site. |
I walked to school, choosing to wait
until more snow arrived, before using my skidoo. I photographed the construction crew hard at
work at the site of the new fire hall.
The location is in the middle of the community. The crew spent the late summer months digging
and flattening the ground where the two-garage structure will stand. From where I was standing, it appeared the workers
were getting ready to beginning constructing the structure itself. Hopefully, they’ll complete the exterior
before the arrival of more snow and cold Arctic temperatures.
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| Vagabond. |
I also photographed the French boat
Vagabond anchored in the bay. The water
was smooth & reflective. The French
family’s two daughters have been attending Inuujaq School. They come ashore on a small canoe-like boat.
October 1 was a regular day at
school. There were a few moments where I
had difficulty concentrating because my mind was thinking about my impending
trip to Pond Inlet. I & four high
school students had to be at the airport by 4:30pm so that we wouldn’t miss the
charter plane. I would be away until
October 4th. My lesson plans
for the supply teacher were ready to go.
I power-walked home after school and
changed into more casual clothing. The
snow had melted throughout the school day, turning the ground into mud. I was ready to go when Frank came by to give
me a ride to the airport. He would look
after cadets on October 2. We arrived at
the airport on time. The four students
& I waited for the charter plane to arrive.
In mid-September, Inuujaq School
received a letter from the Canadian Red Cross & Department of Education. Letters had also been sent to schools in
Grise Fiord, Resolute Bay, Igloolik, & Clyde River. The Red Cross, with the support of the
Department, would be hosting the Nipivut Youth Leadership Conference in Pond
Inlet. (Nipivut means “our voice”.) The letter stated the conference’s focus “on
building confidence and leadership skills among students so that they can
become strong role models in their school and larger community.” The schools in Pond Inlet would be
participating but the Red Cross was also looking for representatives from other
communities in the North Qikiqtani Region.
The principal asked me if I was interested in pursuing this endeavour, along
with finding two high school students to attend? I briefly thought about it and agreed to take
on the task. I found two interested
students but was later instructed to find two more because Resolute Bay was
unable to attend.
The charter plane arrived from
Resolute Bay at 5pm. We greeted the
teacher & two students from Grise Fiord as they entered the terminal. The plane, a Beechcraft 200 Super King Air,
needed to be refueled before continuing on to Pond Inlet. The refueling took about 15 minutes. We carried our luggage to the plane and the
co-pilot added it to the large pile at the back. We then boarded and took our seats. The plane could only seat 8 passengers and
there was no washroom onboard. I was
sitting at the back near the exit door.
The pilots started the engines and went through their safety
checks. They taxied the plane onto the
runway and then took off into the October sky.
The flight to Pond Inlet lasted 40 minutes.
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| Beechcraft 200 Super King |
There was no snow in Pond Inlet;
only fog. I was the first passenger to
deplane. I was glad because I could
photograph everyone deplaning and the pilots unloading the luggage. We walked across the gravel tarmac, into the
terminal, and were greeted by Red Cross representatives. We were led to two vehicles and then driven
to Nasivvik High School. This would be
my first extended stay in the community.
We brought our luggage inside the
school. The lobby is big with a tall
ceiling. What’s also big is the
gym. We left our luggage in the lobby
and went inside the kitchen for dinner.
The menu was lasagna, Caesar salad, and juice. After dinner, we were shown where we would be
sleeping for the duration of the conference.
Females would sleep in a classroom and the males would sleep on stage in
the gym. We brought our own sleeping
bags while the school provided mattresses.
I followed my four students to a
nearby convenience store located in the Co-op store. Pond Inlet’s Co-op is much larger than the
one in Arctic Bay. We bought some snacks
and returned to the school. We went to
sleep several hours later.
Everyone was awake at 7am on October
2. We had an hour to get ready for the
day. I brought my formal clothing to
wear for the conference. At 8am, we
helped the high school teachers set up tables in the lobby for breakfast &
registration. Nasivvik’s breakfast
program runs differently compared to ours.
The food and drinks are placed on the tables and the students line up when
the first bell rings. At our school,
breakfast is delivered to each classroom.
The breakfast menu consisted of fruits, pancakes, and juice. We also helped the staff set up chairs in the
gym for the opening ceremony.
Breakfast started at 8:30am. Red Cross representatives were standing
behind the registration tables, ready to assist students in choosing the
workshops they wanted to attend in the morning and afternoon. Five large pieces of paper sat on the tables
with black markers next to them. Each
paper listed the title of a workshop and students had to write their names on the
papers. An announcement was made at 9am
for everyone to head into the gym for the opening ceremony.
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| Elder Ragilie. |
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| David Joanasie. |
The ceremony began with an opening
prayer and ceremonial qulliq lighting by two local Elders. Nunavut’s Minister of Education, David Joanasie,
spoke to the students from his office in Iqaluit. His face was shown on a large screen and his voice
was heard from speakers. He spoke in
Inuktitut & English, encouraging everyone to learn as much as possible and
to become leaders in their community.
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| Danny. |
 |
| Gina Burgess. |
The conference officially began at
9:30am with key opening remarks from: Danny, a former student of Nasivvik; Mary,
a current Nasivvik student; a Red Cross representative; Ragilie, the Elder who lit the ceremonial qulliq; a
male Elder whose name I was unable to obtain (Sorry); and Gina Burgess, an accomplished
violinist and member of The Jerry Cans.
The speeches finished at 10:15am and everyone was given a 15-minute
break.
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| Bagel snacks. |
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| Superintendent instructing while the 4 students from Arctic Bay listen. |
The workshops were held in various
classrooms on the ground & second floors of the school. My four students signed up for the First Aid
& CPR workshop. The class was
co-taught by the Red Cross and a superintendent. The students learned valuable skills, such as,
how to properly approach someone in distress, placing someone in the recovery
position, and practiced CPR on dolls.
Everyone was given an hour for
lunch. I went to the Northern Store to
buy food. The store is at least twice
the size of the one we have in Arctic Bay.
The afternoon workshops began at
1:15pm. My four students attended the
Music & Movement workshop, hosted by Gina Burgess. I only stayed a few minutes because I was
called to the kitchen to help the staff with preparing the afternoon snacks. I left when the students were doing a group
activity while Gina was playing a tune on her violin.
Everyone was called into the gym
after the snack break for a final group session. The first day of the conference was finished
when the school bell rang at 3:35pm.
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| According to the Northern Store in Pond Inlet, doing business in the North is expensive. |
To
Be Continued . . .
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