Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

ARVIAT - A group of Arviat students had the chance to share their culture both at home and away recently.

The John Arnalukjuak High School (JAHS) students took part in an exchange program with a group of their peers from Avery School in Lloydminster, Alta./Sask.

The program was organized by JAHS vice-principal Cody Prusky, who applied to The Society for Educational Visits and Exchanges in Canada about a year ago.

Prusky said one school was chosen from the south and one from Nunavut for the program.

He said it took a lot of phone calls, paperwork and planning to make the trip come together.

"We took 12 students there from May 2 until May 11, and they brought 10 students to Arviat from May 18 until May 25," said Prusky.

"It was a lot of work, but worth every second."

Prusky said the trip to Lloydminster was the first time that far south for the majority of his students.

He said the farthest most of the Arviat kids had ever travelled was to Winnipeg.

"Our kids were just blown away by everything they saw and did there.

"Five host families took in our group, so our kids never stayed by themselves, which really helped.

"They became parts of the families down there and were treated as such.

"If they wanted a Slurpee at 11 p.m., they were driven to a 7-11 to get one."

Prusky said Avery School co-ordinator Marc Cheriyan's schedule kept the Arviat kids busy and entertained.

He said even though Lloydminster only has a population of about 30,000, it was a vast change of pace for the Arviat students.

"The kids were so excited as we were driving into Lloydminster.

"One looked out the window and told everyone to look at the black horses, which turned out to be cattle.

"That became a running joke for the next nine or 10 days.

"It was an absolutely awesome experience."

Prusky said the southern kids were prepared for their visit to Arviat.

He said the weather was good during their stay, and they had talked a lot about the community during the Arviat kids' visit with them.

"Marc taught in Cape Dorset for a couple of years, so he talked to his students all year about what to expect.

"The Arctic was the focus of his class this year.

"He had a carving in his classroom and his wife's amauti, so the kids had an understanding of what to expect that really helped when they got to Arviat."

The southern kids spent most of their time at locations provided by JAHS staff members and the elementary school principal during their time in Arviat.

Prusky said they were kept very busy and only went to their host families to sleep.

"We fed them at the school and had tons of activities, so there wasn't a lot of time to just hang out where they were staying.

"We already planned anything neat to do here."

The southern kids had no problem adapting to Arviat.

Many hailed from the First Nations communities of Onion Lake and Frog Lake, so they weren't phased by life in a small community.

Prusky said the southern kids were intrigued by ice fishing, and truly enjoyed the friendliness and openness of the people of Arviat.

"People talked to them wherever they went and they really appreciated that.

"The biggest benefit of this to our kids was seeing there's a whole world out there beyond Arviat or Winnipeg.

"I hope it opened their eyes to the fact once they finish high school, they can go on and be successful anywhere.

"There were so many things they did in the south that showed them this really exists and isn't just stuff on TV."

Prusky said he'd love to take part in the program again, but only after he's had the chance to catch his breath from this year's exchange.

He said he's already been asked if he's interested in setting up another exchange program for the Arviat kids.

"I don't want to be involved again next year because I have some other things I'd like to get done, but I'd like to get another one on the go in two years.

"A lot of our kids who took part this year have already shown an increase in their level of maturity, and their ability to deal with different situations that come up here, even at school.

"I don't know if that's because they had the opportunity to see what it's like somewhere else and bring that experience into their lives.

"But, for the most part, they've become more mature, outgoing, talkative and open to new things at school, and that's been nice to see."

We welcome your opinions. Click to e-mail a letter to the editor.