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TUKTOYAKTUK - Students in Tuktoyaktuk staged a protest earlier this month as part of a new Grade 11 Social Studies curriculum with a Northern flair.

A Social Studies 20 unit -- Nationalism in the North -- being piloted in Alberta and NWT schools explores the origins of nationalism, as well as the individual, collective, national and state realities.

Mangilaluk students from Social Studies 20 course left the classroom on Tuesday, March 3 to protest the possible invasion of Canadian airspace by two Russian bombers. Students from left are Kelsey Lucas, 16, Dolly Loreen, 18, Caitlin Walker, 16, Carey Blake, 17 and Bradley Felix, 17. - photo courtesy of Paul Yanchus

Paul Yanchus, social studies teacher at Tuktoyaktuk's Mangilaluk school, said the overall goal of the unit is to explore land claims and treaties with the historical timeline of the Northwest Territories provided by the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Center.

“We want to bring history home,” he said. “Rather than just always study world history, this brings a local, territorial element to the idea of nationalism.

On March 3, students took an active role in their studies by protesting the invasion of two Russian bombers into Canadian air space, only 24 hours before a visit to Canada by U.S. President Barak Obama, Feb. 19. The incident hit close to home for Tuk residents. The planes were spotted 190 km from the hamlet and two Canadian F-18 jets scrambled to escort the Russians from Canadian airspace.

As part of the demonstration students marched onto the ice of the Beaufort Sea with handmade signs reading "Russia, take off eh."

Dolly Loreen, a Grade 11 student at the school, said she didn’t mind the Russians flying over but said better communication with the Canadian Government should have happened.

“I don’t mind the Russians flying over our country as long as they don’t do any damage such as pollution,” she said in a written release issued by the school. “At the same time I think they should ask our permission to fly here since we would have to if we flew over their country."

Yanchus said he hopes the new unit will help develop an awareness of Northern issues.

“It would be nice to see all Northern students keeping a vigilant eye on the Arctic and all its resources, and environment, as well as getting involved with the political issues especially the sovereignty question,” he said.

Yanchus said students are only recently getting wind of the issue of Arctic sovereignty and said increased engagement and involvement of students will help create more motivation for them to be aware of current affairs' relation to history.

“They’re getting aware there are things in the world affecting them and they’re aware they can make change,” he said.

“The ultimate hope is to get them motivated. The personal hope is that they are taking to it. It takes these students a while to realize they can be globalized world citizens and responsible ones at that.

“It helps in the idea it will expose them to what’s going on in the world.”