TETLIT'ZHEH/FORT MCPHERSON
Rayna Vittrewka says she'll never forget having to explain the concept of an ice road to visitors from Toronto.

Fort McPherson's Maryanne Robert teaches Serena Vilde from North Toronto Collegiate Institute how to build a fire for tea boiling as part of a YMCA of Greater Toronto exchange trip with Chief Julius School in April. - photo courtesy of Sierra Daley

"They went on the ice road," the Grade 12 student at Chief Julius School said. "I had to explain to them what an ice road was, which was kind of strange for me."

Vittrewka's family hosted two girls from North Toronto Collegiate Institute (NTCI) in April as part of an exchange trip between the schools through the YMCA of Greater Toronto.

Fifteen students and three chaperones from NTCI travelled to Fort McPherson on April 4 where they participated in everything from setting snares to delivering meat to elders, said teacher Sierra Daley.

Their first day was spent at the school's camp, which featured different stations where students could take part in various traditional activities.

Stations included fire building, tea boiling and bannock making.

"They earned how to make their own fires," Daley said. "They all tried to make their own bannock."

They also watched a local hunter skin and butcher a caribou, which they then distributed to local elders.

The YMCA program requires each visiting group to do a community service project in their host community, so bringing the meat to elders served as the group's project, Daley said.

The Peel River Jamboree was also taking place during that week, which gave students the opportunity to watch and participate in cultural activities, including a community feast.

They also watched square-dancing competitions and snowmobile races and played games such as hot potato and musical chairs.

Daley said outdoor activities were especially popular.

"They had the opportunity to go snowshoeing or cross country skiing," she said. "They really enjoyed that."

Vittrewka said she agreed. Spending time outside with elders was definitely a favourite among the visitors.

"A lot of the elders, they showed us all these traditional things like settings snares and they told us all these stories about how things happened in the past," she said. "I know a few of them liked what happened that day."

Grade 12 student Brayden Koe said students also enjoyed learning how to sew their own mitts.

"I think they liked to make the mitts," he said. "They made fur mitts while they were here."

Now that the NTCI students have returned home, Chief Julius School students are getting ready to travel to Toronto for the second phase of the program. Thirteen students will leave Fort McPherson on May 23 for their five-day trip to Toronto.

Koe said he's looking forward to reuniting with his new friends.

"They were a lively bunch of students," he said. "They were fun to be around."

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