Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (Nov 14/01) - Grade 8 teacher Tyrone Power decided to take a unique approach this year to show his students what Remembrance Day is all about.

Power teaches at Maani Ulujuk middle school (MUI) in Rankin Inlet. His idea formed after discovering MUI didn't hold a school service for Remembrance Day.

He approached his class about putting on their own Remembrance Day service for the school and his students loved the idea.

With a little help from a few of his fellow teachers the first student Remembrance Day service at the middle school was held.

"The kids spent the better part of two weeks preparing for the service," says Power.

"The mural we incorporated into the program and the little white crosses along the front of the stage were done by Kevin Bartlett's alternative skills class.

"Our class did the other signs and Debbie Mutford's students provided the wreaths."

Power decided the service needed a guest speaker. Staff members at the school suggested that he speak to Randy Robinson at the Nunavut Power Corp.

"I asked Randy (Robinson) about getting a Legion member to speak during the ceremony and he put me in touch with Jim Bailey who is a former United Nations peacekeeper. "I filled him in with the details and he gladly came in to have a talk with the kids."

Power says putting the program together helped give his students a better understanding of what Remembrance Day is all about.

He says that class discussions on the significance of Remembrance Day resulted in many of his students having a clearer picture of what soldiers went through during conflicts of the past century.

"They started to realize it wasn't like today's wars with all the high tech weaponry.

"A lot of people went and fought in far-off places.

"I think preparing for our little ceremony definitely gave my students a better understanding of why so many people celebrate Remembrance Day."