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KANGIQTUGAAPIK/CLYDE RIVER - Girls at Clyde River's Quluaq School joined this year's spring land program for the first time since 2006.

"I was on the ice and the seal was on the water," said Ruthie Mingeriak, one of the girls who participated in the program. "I shot it in the head. A person had to get it with a little boat. I got to keep the skin."

Hunter Esa Qillaq, second from right, instructs Quluaq school students Thomasie Oqallak, Reepa Tigullaraq and Joshua Qaqqasiq while hunting seal. - photo courtesy of Quluaq School

Because of a shortage of snowmobile drivers, female students were not given the option to hunt and fish with the school trips for the past few years.

Mingeriak, now in Grade 12, last went hunting with the school back in Grade 9. It was the first time she had gone hunting since going with her family when she was a child. She said hunting was an "awesome experience."

Grades 6 to 12 went out seal hunting while the younger students learned to fish.

Last year Mingeriak learned how to skin seals and polar bears, but said the lessons didn't stick for her and she didn't remember how to do it a year later.

Quluaq's principal Jukeepa Hainnu said many female students were eager to get out on the tundra to hunt and fish.

"They've been wanting to go out again so much," she said. "It's quite common in the North for women to go out hunting so it's not huge difference from what they've been doing."

Girls still have the option of staying at the school and learning to plan meals, clean the sealskins and make items out of the seal's skin such as kamiik and mitts. They also cooked some of the meat to share with elders and the needy.

"It's giving back to the community so all the resources from the seal are being used," said Hainnu.