UQSUQTUUQ/GJOA HAVEN - Qiqirtaq High School student Ellen Oogak was so shocked when she found out she was chosen to participate in an exchange trip to Scotland last semester, she said she literally crashed to the floor.

From left, Scott Caspell, Jessica Hunter and Tanya Eby hold some of the Kentucky Fried Chicken meals they used to fundraise for a Senior Student Exchange in Scotland. - photo courtesy of Tanya Eby

"I dropped and I screamed," the Grade 11 student said, laughing. "And I said 'Oh my God, are you lying to me?'"

Oogak is a member of Qiqirtaq High School's Senior Student Exchange in Gjoa Haven, a group of 12 students who were chosen to participate in an exchange trip with Fortrose Academy in Fortrose, Scotland, near Inverness.

Qiqirtaq teachers Tanya Eby and Scott Caspell organize the group. Going to Scotland is the Gjoa Haven group’s first international trip, Caspell said.

Before the Qiqirtaq students make their journey, they will host 13 students and three chaperones from the Scottish school after they arrive in Gjoa Haven on Oct. 21, Eby said. The students will stay with school staff in the community until Oct. 28. The exchange is part of an Arctic education project through Arctic Voice, Eby said. Arctic Voice is a program that links schools in the Arctic with schools in the United Kingdom, according to the website.

Oogak said the visitors will be shown drum dances, throatsinging and Inuit Games during their trip. They will also be given traditional food, taken on a dogsled ride and camp out on the land for a night.

"We're going to have our Scotland guests come to Gjoa Haven to experience Inuit culture and Arctic living," Eby said. "What were planning is we're trying to get elders involved and so elders can tell stories."

Caspell said the exchange will allow the students from Gjoa Haven to experience another part of the world.

"I think this exchange trip is important to be able to provide students here with an opportunity to travel the world," he said. "It's a very exciting opportunity for the community as well."

Caspell said activities will not only benefit the students from Scotland, it will also allow the Gjoa Haven students and community members to showcase Inuit culture.

The group from Gjoa Haven must still raise about $55,000 before their trip to Scotland, a goal they are a little closer to reaching after a fundraiser at the school on Sept. 19, according to Eby.

Students sold tickets for Kentucky Fried Chicken meals to community members, which were then ordered from the KFC in Yellowknife and shipped to Gjoa Haven on First Air, Eby said. First Air flew the meals for free, Eby said.

The group raised around $800 during the fundraiser, after costs.

"It was pretty successful overall," Eby said.

Grade 12 student Jessica Hunter agreed.

"It went pretty good. We sold a lot," she said.

Hunter said she is looking forward to going to Scotland.

"I want to experience another country," she said.

Neither Hunter nor Oogak has ever travelled outside Canada.

Eby said the group has also applied for funding from the department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth, the Kitikmeot Inuit Association and from various businesses, but it's too early to know if the group has been approved.

The group is hoping to leave for Scotland in March.