Maria Canton
Northern News Services

Kimmirut (Apr 17/00) - The crippling effects of the Quebec ice storm two years ago were felt as far away as Kimmirut.

Students at Qaqqalik school in Kimmirut had been planning an exchange trip with St. George's, a private school in Montreal, when the storm struck.

Travel plans were immediately put on hold. Now, two years later, the student exchange was finally realized.

Last week 20 students and four chaperons from Montreal flew into the south Baffin community to spend a week experiencing what it is like to live in a Northern community.

"The exchanges are a lot about leadership and cross-cultural connections," says Qaqqalik co-principal Pascal Baillargeon.

"It gives our students a chance to showcase their talents through teaching the Montreal students."

Baillargeon is referring to the many activities arranged for the students, including cod fishing, iglu building, snowmobile trips and making traditional projects.

"I enjoy watching my students grow through teaching others what is so natural to them.

"The exchange students are coming up here and they don't know how to dress for the cold or how to act around guns or snowmobiles, but they learn all of that."

Having fun is how Grade 11 student Ottokie Aninaningmiuq summed up the visit so far.

"I have a student staying at my house and it's a lot of fun. We've been fishing, playing sports, making ulus and snowmobiling," he said.

"We show them how to dress warm and do traditional things, all of that stuff."

The exchange that allows these experiences to happen is funded in part through the YMCA program Visions.

The first part of the two-way exchange took place last October, when 20 students from Kimmirut travelled to Montreal for eight days.

St. George's student Lanca Garcia was in Montreal to host the students during their southern visit. She came to Kimmirut to meet with friends she made in the fall.

"It's a different type of living here -- it's really cold and really fun. We got to see how iglus are made, seeing it is very different than you think," said Garcia.

"When they were in Montreal we showed them a lot of stuff that they don't have here, just like they are doing for us."

Teacher David Bell, who taught in Nunavik for six years, said he was afraid his students might not adjust as well as they did and is pleasantly surprised at how much they are enjoying themselves.

"It is very different for them and very interesting, they are enthralled by the activities -- it's such a time of personal growth," said Bell.

This is the fourth two-way exchange in which the Kimmirut school has participated.