.

Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

INUVIK - Grade 6 student Karly King Simpson didn't just want to win first prize at the territorial Historica Fair held at Sir Alexander Mackenzie School (SAMS) gymnasium on Saturday. She also wanted to teach her schoolmates about a disappearing part of the Inuvialuit culture.

So the SAMS student set out on a mission to find out more about quaq (frozen meat or fish) and how important the traditional food source once was to the Inuvialuit people.

Grade 9 student Joel Ross-Gruben of Tuktoyaktuk shows off his award-winning project on traditional foods. -Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

She interviewed five elders, gathered some samples of the fish and displayed her findings in a beautifully-designed project for all to see. She even offered tastings.

"I did the project because most of the younger generation don't know anything about how to prepare or to cut it and what quaq means to the culture," she said. "I wanted more people to know about its importance."

Her hard work paid off when she grabbed first place at the weekend competition, which featured the territory's best heritage-based student projects from Grades 4 to 9. She shared the distinction with three others. They'll travel to Ottawa to take part in the National Historica Fair from July 7 to 13.

Ten other Inuvik students captured awards for their projects.

The competitors had to win local and regional fairs to make Saturday's showdown. Whether exploring topics such as the Anne of Green Gables novel, traditional foods or the historical roots of Tuktoyaktuk, students were able to bring aspects of Canadian culture to life in a dynamic way.

Grade 7 Chantelle Duval from Yellowknife explored the effects of climate change on the Arctic in her project titled Le rechauffment planetaire.

Decorated with all kinds of colourful displays, including tiny green and white windmills, her project garnered the Imperial Oil Science and Technology Award.

The junior environmentalist said she learned much during her research.

"I learned different effects that global warming has on the Arctic and the world," she said. "The water levels are rising and flooding everything, which affects the animals. We have to do something to change all this."

Alana Mero of Inuvik took in the event and said she was impressed by what she saw.

"The depth shown by these kids is really quite incredible and the research gone into these products is so impressive," she said.

"I've taught high school and university and this is really outstanding work."

Jason Daymon, SAMS vice principal, was also on hand for the event. He said the student's work is a testament to just how much youth can achieve when they're encouraged to put their creativity to the test.

"The fair's a wonderful opportunity to share the cultures of the communities with Inuvik," he said. "But it's also an opportunity to pick what they're passionate about and really run with it and it shows with their work."