Hibernal Nanuq & Return Of The Sun

A cadet instructor cadre (CIC) officer from Whitehorse travelled to Arctic Bay to run a weekend training activity for the army cadets of 3045.  The activity was given the name Hibernal Nanuq and occurred on February 15 & 16.

The activity began in the afternoon in the school gym and featured sports & drill.  The captain led the activities, and I assisted.  The focus was teamwork, problem solving, and having fun.  There’s not much else for me to say for this part of the training activity.  The cadets did have fun.

The next day began in the early morning with marksmanship.  The cadets shot Daisy air rifles in the gym.  Their paper targets were placed on custom made backboards that also stopped lead pellets from hitting the gym wall.  The corps runs an active weekend marksmanship program.

Lunch was provided & delivered by the local hotel.  Thank you!  The menu was quite delicious.

The captain led the cadets in a team building activity called the Tallest Paper Tower Challenge.  Cadets work in groups to build the largest paper tower using limited materials & time.  This activity encourages teamwork, creativity, problem solving, and time management.  I stood back and took photos of their creations.  The winning group received bragging rights.

The captain & cadets had another drill session/lesson, followed by another game.  The cadets were given a short break before returning to the gym for the final activity: the canon obstacle course race.  This game is based on military field gun competitions where teams must transport a field gun through an obstacle course in shortest time possible.  The gun can be disassembled during the relay but needs to be in one piece at the finish line.  You can view an example here on YouTube.

The captain made two makeshift cannons & obstacle courses using sports equipment.  The cadets were divided into two teams and learned the rules.  I watched from above when the race began.  It was quite interesting to see the cadets quickly figured out ways to move their “cannons” through the obstacle course in pieces.

I took a photo of the captain & cadets.  I gifted him a corps t-shirt as a way of saying thank you for coming to Arctic Bay to meet & train the cadets.  He returned to Whitehorse the next day.

The sun returned to Arctic Bay in early February.  Inuujaq School usually organizes a Return of the Sun Assembly at the same time, but circumstances forced us to postpone the event until February 21.  Classes made decorations and wore bright colours to school.

The assembly began in the afternoon with a short welcome address by the principal.  This was followed by an Elder lighting the school’s ceremonial qulliq (oil lamp).  The qulliq is a very important tool & cultural piece to Inuit, especially during dark, cold winter months, because it provides light & warmth.  The Elder explained this to the audience and shared a story of how the qulliq kept her & her family warm when she was growing up and how it brings people together.

The Grade 1 class sang You Are My Sunshine in Inuktitut & English.  Two high school teachers performed an Inuit song.  One teacher sang while the other played the Inuit drum.  A few students were given the opportunity to play the Inuit drum to the delight of the audience.  The assembly concluded with an Inuit drum dance from a community member.

Everyone in the community is glad the sun has returned.  The temperature is still cold until April but at least there’s light.  People just have to remember to wear sunglasses to avoid snow blindness and put on sunscreen to prevent sunburn.

 

Chinese New Year & PD Week

Ox Tail.

Inuujaq School staff assembled in the Home Ec Room for an afternoon get together on Friday, November 7.  We were celebrating the end of the school week, the beginning of Professional Development (PD) Week, and Chinese New Year (CNY).  (The actual day for CNY was January 29, but that was a Sunday).

CNY “marks the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar” and is “also known as the Spring Festival”.  This year, 2025, is the year of the Snake.  A person with a snake zodiac is described as “mysterious, determined, wise, and charismatic.”  In case you’re wondering, my Chinese zodiac sign is not a snake.

The teachers from China & Jamaica prepared a potluck for staff.  Some of the menu items were jerk chicken, curry chicken, ox tail, fried dumplings, potato salad, and rice.  An Elder blessed the food and then everyone lined up with plates & cutlery.  The food was delicious.

PD Week in Nunavut is where teachers do professional development to expand & improve their knowledge & skills teaching pedagogy.  This can be done through online courses, workshops, conventions, & collaborations.  Students enjoy a free week off school.  All communities except for Rankin Inlet hold their PD Week in mid-February.  Rankin Inlet’s PD Week is in October.

I travelled to Iqaluit to complete a course in educational leadership.  It’s one of several courses attached to a leadership program designed for educators wanting to be administrators in Nunavut.  Completing the program is required to becoming a school principal.  Teachers & administrators from other schools were present.

The course took place in a small conference room at the Frobisher Inn, and it was also the hotel where all the participates stayed.  We would find out later in the week how important that was.  There were two instructors and around 14 participants including myself.  Classes began in the morning and ended in the afternoon.  They consisted of presentations, video clips, group discussions, and reading articles.  We were required to complete written assignments and a project.  The hotel was hired as caterer, providing breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks.  The quality of food was pretty good.  I did stop by Yummy Shawarma twice during the week for dinner.

A blizzard roared through Iqaluit on February 12, bringing the town to a standstill.  We were able to continue the course in the morning, but the instructors had to end early in the afternoon because the power grid became affected.  The hotel & surrounding neighbourhood experienced rolling blackouts.  The instructors gave us permission to return to our hotel rooms to work on assignments.  I took a few photos & videos of the blizzard from my room window.  I was able to get some work done despite the lights coming on & turning off at random times.  It made me think of a power plant employee flicking a switch on & off as a prank.  The blizzard eventually passed, and the electricity stayed on.

The last day of the course was Thursday, February 13.  Everyone presented their projects in small groups.  My project was about setting up a skidoo engine & body repair course at my school for middle & high school students.  A course like this is needed in all northern communities.  The course was finished at lunch time.  The instructors thanked everyone for their participation and asked them to fill out a feedback form.  We then took a group photo.  We were then dismissed.  Everyone bid each other farewell and to stay in touch.

Overall, it was a good course.  I learned a lot and made new connections.

I spent the last day of PD Week in Iqaluit doing professional reading, exploring the town, and shopping for supplies.

Inuksuk High School.

Shawarma plate.

The town has grown & changed in the last 13 years.  New buildings have been added, and old ones have been renovated.  I walked around town, photographing landmarks and points of interest.  I walked by Inuksuk High School, the place where my Nunavut teaching career started in 2012.  It’s hard to believe how much time has passed since.  I feel like a veteran teacher.  I bought & enjoyed a shawarma plate for dinner.

I returned to Arctic Bay on February 15.  The Canadian North turboprop plane approached the airport from the north and flew over the community.  I was able to take a few good photos of the town before we landed.

Arctic Bay. February 15, 2025.