CAPE DORSET - Two adult men have been charged in a Feb. 1 rampage that left Sam Pudlat school in Cape Dorset unusable for days.

A 23-year-old male and a 21-year-old male are facing charges of mischief over $5,000.

The accused made a first appearance in front of a justice of the peace in Cape Dorset, and are now scheduled to appear in the territorial circuit court in June.

Sam Pudlat school in Cape Dorset was closed for three days last week due to rampaging vandals who inflicted more than $5,000 worth of damage in the school. - photo courtesy of Sam Pudlat school

Damage to the school was extensive.

A teacher came across the aftermath at 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 1, and the RCMP were on the scene soon after. They estimate that the incident took place between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.

"I saw that it was trashed. It was like walking on the soft snow, but it was broken glass," Pudlat principal Joe Taukie said of the damage.

The building, the dentist office located within the school, dishes, computers, desks and the school's digital cameras were all vandalized. RCMP have not discovered any evidence of theft, just destroyed items.

"It took three days to clean-up. We had to remove everything from the rooms and then sweep them out," said Taukie. "We had to close (the school). The glass made it too dangerous for the students."

Taukie confirmed that the school does have security cameras, and that the RCMP has the tapes.

Physical damage has been cleaned up, but the staff and students at Sam Pudlat school have a long way to go until they feel normal again, according to the principal.

"The students are dealing with it, and so are the teachers. We had a public meeting with the DEA, and it was an emotional time for the staff. We just want to make everyone feel comfortable," said Taukie.

The accused are free in the community, and in a small community like Cape Dorset, almost everyone knows the men. Taukie is calling for people to be patient and calm.

"The whole community is connected to the school, and we didn't want to have anybody with a funny feeling about it. We didn't want anybody wanting revenge. We must stay together as a community," said Taukie.

The territorial Department of Community and Government Services (CGS), which has its main office in Cape Dorset, has had employees take photos of the damage.

The department will be estimating the cost of replacing items damaged in the rampage.