April 23, spring is here

April 22, 2023

Hello all

Lots has happened this month including this really neat cross country ski trip, headed up by a secondary teacher and an elementary teacher from our school. They took 22 high school aged kids, from 3 communities on a 60 k cross country ski trip. They packed everything with them--tents, food, water and heat. Right in the middle of the trip, there was a dandy spring blizzard with lots of snow and winds of over 60 k an hour, but they all made it safely to Aupaluk in the 3 days that they had planned. Of course, they had a great back up with ski doos, sat phones, and trained personal. What a great opportunity for all. The teachers said it was super, and kids really came through as a team.

We also had a full on Inuit Culture week that included eating "country food", traditional seal, caribou, ptarmigan, Arctic Char, and other game, igloo building, stories from the elders, and Inuit games. It was very interesting experiencing the week this year--last year with covid, it was very different.

Of course there was also drama. 2 people from our village got lost during the blizzard on their ski-doo return from Aupaluk. They were missing for over 30 hours. Because of the severe conditions, search and rescue was suspended for a time, and no helicopter could be used because of the lack of visibility. Fortunately, they were found alive, cold and wet. The lady was a parent of one of my students. How lucky we all were.

Weather is getting mild, between 0 and 5 degrees these days, making the snow slush, just like the coast. But it is also the time for blizzards. Last week we were out for 3 days, and of course that means no water delivery, no sewage, and no grocery shopping. We pretty much are in lock down. It is dangerous to be out in the storm because of the flying debris and power lines.

We all are becoming a little "bushed". Many staff are showing the stress of the year with their absence. Our principal has taken a stress leave for the rest of the year so we only have a vice principal, who is part time because she is returning from a stress leave over the suicide of her son last summer.

Nevertheless, school goes on and the little kids in my room are improving every day. Of the 9 children, 4 are reading at a grade 3 level, 2 are reading at a grade 1 level and 3 are reading at the beginning grade one level. Not bad, I'd say. They are also moving forward in math, to my great surprise--I am not a math teacher--never was any good at it--but they surprise me every day.

I am looking forward to the break, and have already lined up my holidays in Victoria, Vancouver and Nelson. Sure am looking forward to the music scene, playing with the All Bays Band in Riondel, and later in the summer attending a music camp to be held at a college in the Fraser Valley.

Am having mixed feelings about another year in the north, I am going to just play it by ear.

Science challenge--that was fun!!