Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Chesterfield Inlet (Apr 28/04) - The land is fast becoming a progressive classroom for students at Victor Sammurtok school in Chesterfield Inlet.

A total of six Grade 11 and 12 students from the school took part in a field trip earlier this month to add a practical dimension to their classroom studies.

The students were joined by elder Joe Issaluk, his son, Johnny, teacher Glen Brocklebank and members of the Chester RCMP detachment.

Students at the school took part in a similar trip last year, which laid the groundwork for this year's excursion.

Brocklebank says this year's Grade 11/12 class was investigating economic development in the North and the potential impact it could have on caribou herds.

He says the students worked at identifying caribou calving grounds, their migration routes and the time of year they head to the birthing grounds.

"Basically, we don't want development to take place on a calving ground because that's going to displace the caribou," says Brocklebank.

"Since we were focusing so heavily on the caribou in the classroom, we wanted to go out on the land and actually see a herd to learn more about them.

"This year, for example, the caribou have been quite a bit further away from town than usual."

Hands-on learning

Not only did the students get to observe the caribou, they also learned how to successfully hunt the animals, skin them on the land and bring the meat back to town.

Brocklebank says the trip allowed the students to produce a summary of their entire learning unit.

He says it was also beneficial for them to be able to discuss the caribou and their habits with local elders.

"For some of the students, this trip marked the first time they were actually out on the land hunting caribou, so they really learned a lot and enjoyed their time out there. "Almost the whole time we were there, the students kept asking to stay out overnight.

"And, since our return, all they've talked about is getting the chance to go back again."