CHESTERFIELD INLET
Students at Victor Sammurtok School (VSS) combined spirit-building with numerous fun-filled activities during a special morning carnival this past month.
Teacher Glen Brocklebank said the carnival had been run by Grade 1 and 2 teacher Vicki Tanuyak in the past.
He said this year it was agreed to expand the event to celebrate the arrival of spring, and to have more students participate in activities to mark the coming end of the school year.
"The carnival was the final push for our school spirit teams," said Brocklebank.
"The teams include all our students, from kindergarten to Grade 12, divided into six spirit teams with animal names such as Polar Bear and Arctic Hare.
"This was the last chance for them to earn points.
"Our two chefs made caribou stew and bannock for everyone to enjoy, and we marked the end of the carnival by lighting off some rockets."
Brocklebank said the morning carnival was a tremendous success, with both teachers and students expressing their desire to hold similar events more often.
He said one senior student, who has attended a number of Kivalliq schools, was very impressed by the school spirit at VSS.
"The student attended school at Repulse Bay and Rankin Inlet, and commented on how community orientated our school is in Chester.
"That's where being small is actually an advantage, because it's easier to build a sense of community when you only have about 100 students in the entire school.
"But still, it's nice to hear you've been successful in your efforts from a student who's attended a number of schools in the region."
Brocklebank said the carnival is not an official annual event at VSS.
He said it was well received once again, however, and staff members would like to see it continue.
"When the carnival was completed and the final spirit points calculated, Caribou was our winning team.
"Caribou led from the start of the year to the end, but Arctic Hare made a huge surge toward the end of the spirit year, with only a three-point difference between the two teams when the final points were calculated.
"Caribou gets the spirit trophy for the year and its members had a team party to celebrate their victory.
"It was a nice addition to have the final spirit events part of the carnival, making the morning even that much more special."
