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ARVIAT
A group of senior students took to the land for the second annual potential grad leadership retreat in Arviat this past month.

Kristy-Lise Gibbons records Avis Mukyungnik's impressions on the potential grad retreat in Arviat this past month. - photo courtesy of JAHS

Students and staff members from John Arnalukjuak High School (JAHS) were joined by elders, former grads and adults from the community on a three-day, two-night excursion on the land about six miles from Arviat.

JAHS vice-principal Cody Prusky was program leader for this year's retreat and deemed it a big success.

Prusky said 18 potential grads took part in the retreat, along with two female and two male elders, four teachers from grad advisor groups, four recent Grade 12 graduates, and a few adults who helped with everything from bear patrol to cooking.

He said the interaction between the previous and potential grads was simply fantastic.

"We had almost a one-to-one ratio of students to adults this year because we involved four previous students who had just graduated this past August," said Prusky.

"They talked to this year's potential grads about some of the barriers and obstacles they encountered, as well as some of the goals they set for themselves and how they accomplished them."

One part of the program is called A Letter To Me, which has potential grads write a letter to themselves.

Prusky said the letter is kept by their grad advisors and then returned when they graduate.

He said the exercise allows them to look back and see what they were saying to themselves at the time.

"One of last year's grads actually brought his letter to camp and read it to the entire group.

"That was amazing, almost unheard of, because it's pretty rare to get someone to be that open and read out loud, let along bringing something personal they did.

"I assigned each previous grad to a much smaller group so they could talk personally to this year's students about the goals they set, the letters they wrote and what it meant to them.

"The interaction was fantastic and it helped having role models who weren't teachers or older adults, but kids almost their own age."

Prusky said the bonding he saw among the students during the retreat's inaugural year convinced him the school had a winning program.

He said while the program's main focus is on teamwork and team building, the bonding aspect has turned out to be a real hidden gem.

"Teamwork and team building are great and dandy, but they don't guarantee success.

"This past year, we heard the kids keep talking about it and asking when we'd be going back to do another camp.

"We knew we were onto something positive, so we decided to try it again and our grad numbers are staying fairly consistently high.

"We had nearly 100 per cent graduation with the kids who attended the retreat this past year, and we expect the same again this year, so we know it's helping us."

Prusky said sometimes you don't see the benefit of something until after it completely unfolds.

He said high winds striking the camp during the first two years was one such example.

"This might sound silly, but both years we had issues with the wind blowing tents down in the middle of the night.

"That turned out to be something last year -- and so far this year -- that everyone's been talking about.

"It took a real team effort to get the tents back up and secure so everyone could go back to sleep.

"The bonding that came about from that was something that kept everyone talking and engaged."

In addition to working on various teamwork and team-building activities, the typical retreat sees the students touch on goal setting, resiliency in overcoming obstacles and interacting with elders.

Prusky said a special chili cook has also been incorporated into the program.

He said each group prepares chili and bannock, then the students eat the food prepared by another group.

"They have to come up with an adjective to describe the other group's chili and bannock.

"It's geared towards the cohesive, big-group-bonding approach and it's been just phenomenal.

"We also set out fish nets this year, but we didn't catch anything."

Prusky said at one point during the retreat, the female elders take the female students into a tent, while the male elders do the same with the male students.

He said the elders talk to them about what it was like growing up on the land as kids many years ago, and how life has changed today.

"Realistically, a lot of these kids don't go camping any more

"You have that aspect alone and, when you add the elders' conversation, a lot of the kids are just stunned.

"They just cannot believe what they're hearing."

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