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OTTAWA - A group of students from Fort McPherson travelled to Ottawa to take part in the Encounters with Canada program during Remembrance Day.

The program brings students from across Canada to Ottawa to see the sights and take part in a week of activities. During their week in Ottawa they met up with veterans, attended the national Remembrance Day ceremony, and visited the national archives.

A group of Students from Fort McPherson were in Ottawa for Remembrance day Celebrations. They visited many of the museums and historical sites in Ottawa, including Parliament. Shown here at the Eternal Flame is teacher Lisa Meck, left, Branden Blake, Charmaine Wilson, Mary Ellen Boudreau, Daralyn Kay and Jocelyn Blake. - photo courtesy of Lisa Meck

Teacher Lisa Meck accompanied the Grade 11 students on the trip. She said the NWT had more representatives than any other province or territory involved in the trip. Four students from Norman Wells also took part.

The students stayed in the dormitory at the Terry Fox Centre with other students from across Canada.

"It has bunks and lockers so it's sort of military style," said Meck.

Encounters with Canada offers trips for students throughout the year. The theme for the NWT students' trip was remembrance.

Student Branden Blake was chosen to represent the NWT for a candlelight vigil on the evening of Nov. 10. He was also asked to lay a wreath on behalf of the youth of Canada that night.

"It was an honour," said Blake.

Blake visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an aboriginal veteran of the Second World War.

"He brought me for a walk around it and he told me about the Unknown Soldier," he said.

The veteran told him how an eagle feather fell into the soldier's grave as he was being laid to rest. They tried to remove it at first but the wind blew it back in a second time so they left it there.

"He told me, 'It must be one of our guys down there,'" said Blake.

In the evenings students had a choice between several cultural events. Blake said he got to attend a defining Canadian cultural event: an NHL hockey game.

Norman Wells Student Kacee Hunter attended the game with Blake. "It was lots of fun going but I wish the (Ottawa) Senators had won," said Hunter.

Student Charmaine Wilson turned down the chance to see the Senators play the New York Rangers so she could instead attend a "haunted" tour of parliament called "Ghosts in the Gallows."

"It was cool but most of the girls there were scared," she said.

Many hours were spent in Ottawa's many museums. Blake said he really enjoyed the Museum of Civilization, despite the ignorance of one of the tour guides at a display of Northern artifacts.

"He asked if anyone knew what kind of vest it was," said Blake. "I looked at it and said 'seal skin.' He never heard me and finally he said 'Well, it's caribou skin.' I looked at it good again and told him it was seal but he wouldn't listen."

One evening the students from both towns put on a skit for all the participants.

"We all got into a group and put together a parody of the stereotypes about living in the North," said Norman Wells Student Zach Collier.

After pretending to live in igloos and drive dogsleds, the students told their peers the truth. Collier said it got some good laughs.

The many activities and events made for long days but Meck said nobody complained about getting up early.

"They were troopers and they made the most of it. They got up at seven in the morning and went through it all," she said

Collier said they all made a lot of friends and they are now staying in touch by email and through Facebook.

"Anybody who has the opportunity to join the program should because it was probably one of the best weeks you'll ever have," said Collier.