Return Of The Sun & Marksmanship

The sun returned in early February and Inuujaq School celebrated the occasion with an afternoon assembly on February 6.  Students & staff wore bright colours that resembled the sun.  A few elementary school classes wore yellow & orange ribbon hats.

The assembly began with welcome speeches from the principal and chair of the local of the District Education Authority (DEA).  They mentioned the sombre time in November when the sun disappears, the challenges of living through dark season, and the joys of seeing it again in the new year.  The high school Inuit Culture teacher lit a ceremonial qulliq to mark the return of the sun.  She also explained the purpose & importance of the qulliq, such as, providing light during dark season and keeping families warm.   

With the qulliq fully lit, the teacher sang two Inuit songs while an Inuk drum dancer, dressed in traditional clothing, played the drum.  The next performance was a square dance performed by elementary & middle school students, led by the Grade 2 teacher. 

The assembly concluded with a Parks Canada representative drawing names for prizes.  The prizes included t-shirts, cups, pencils, and stickers.

From now on, the sun’s duration in the sky would increase by 20 minutes after each day.  It felt great to have the sun back!

The marksmanship team of 3045 Army Cadet Corps competed in the Stage 2 competition on February 11.  The competition is a mail-in, meaning the targets are sent to the corps in advance, the cadets shoot them, and then I mail them down south to be scored.  (The other corps in Nunavut do the same).  Teams with the highest scores advance to Stage 3 in the spring.  Stage 3 is the regional competition.

The team arrived excited but a little nervous.  I helped them turn the gym into an air rifle range by setting up backboards, tables, chairs, mats, scopes, and flags.  Safety glasses, shooting vests, pellets, and air rifles, and practice targets were also brought out.  I held two practice relays first to give the cadets time to zero-in their rifles, adjust their sights, and get comfortable shooting.  They took a short break and then shot the real targets.  Each cadet had to shoot two target papers: one prone & one standing.  It was pretty quiet in the gym, aside from the sounds of pellets hitting the target papers & backboards.  The cadets were really focused. 

I was not allowed to score the targets.  I had orders to just place the papers into a large envelope, seal it, and mail it down south.  However, we were allowed to look at the targets and guess the amount of points the cadets got.  We all hoped the total amount would be high enough for the team to advance to Stage 3.  The final results of Stage 2 will be announced next month.