Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, February 7, 2007

CHESTERFIELD INLET - Four members of the British High Commission and two from the Cape Farewell project paid a visit to Victor Sammurtok school in Chesterfield Inlet this past month.

A total of 12 schools from England, Canada, the U.S. and Germany are participating in the global project to highlight the issue of climate change.

Victor Sammurtok joins schools from Calgary and Montreal as the Canadian participants.

Cape Farewell is a charitable organization which promotes the understanding of climate change through students learning more about science and art.

The project brings artists, scientists and educators together to collectively address and raise awareness concerning climate change.

Created by David Buckland, Cape Farewell has led three expeditions into the High Arctic on board the 100-year-old Dutch schooner, The Noorderlicht.

The trips were filmed to illustrate the workings of the High Arctic by drawing attention to the role ocean currents play, and the effect rising carbon dioxide levels and changing weather patterns will have on the climate.

Teacher Glen Brocklebank said one Victor Sammurtok student will be selected to go on a two-week cruise to Svalbard, Norway, this coming September.

The student will travel to Svalbard from England on a 120-foot wooden ship with a team of scientists and artists.

"The group was great with our students," said Brocklebank.

"They spent time talking with our kindergarten kids, and showed them a short video on their trip before spending most of the day with our Grade 9 to 12 students."

The senior students were divided into two groups.

The first group worked with science teacher and dancer Subathia Subramanian, who taught them about interpretative dance and tried to get them to express themselves in ways other than language.

The second group worked with director, musician and songwriter Colin Izod to record short sound bites on the effects of climate change.

Brocklebank said the visitors were impressed with their Chester experience.

"We took them on a walking tour of the community and stopped to build an iglu.

"It was the first time they had been on a Ski-Doo or built an iglu.

"Most of the town came out for a community feast in their honour, which included throat signers and a demonstration of Inuit games.

"We also had a number of elders speak on climate change and the need to work with scientists to understand what is happening."