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INUVIK
As the Beaufort Delta moves toward welcoming spring in all the communities through jamborees, the students of Samuel Hearne Secondary School were busy with sports and activities during the week before spring break.

Sarah Seward, left, Angela Voudrach, Shannon Baetz, Emily Rutherford and Kaitlyn Christie of the Green Grizzlies pull with all their might during a tug-of-war competition at Samuel Hearne Secondary School Monday morning. - Katherine Hudson/NNSL photo

The fourth year of the Beaufort Delta Education Council's Friendship Festival, which was held in Tuktoyaktuk this past weekend, brought out students from both Sir Alexander Mackenzie School and SHSS.

Lorne Guy, vice-principal of SHSS, said the 36 students from the school had a blast. The event is designed to bring in students who are really working hard to take part in activities and mingle with youth from other communities.

"This year, they had participation games. We didn't keep score. We mixed groups and teams from different communities and played snow soccer, capture the flag, broomball, traditional games, there was drum dancing, Wii games," said Guy. "The festival mixed the cultural component with the current hobbies the kids like to do and some of the sporting events."

After the weekend-long festival came to an end, SHSS fell right into Snow Week, filling the four days leading up to the school's spring break with dress-up themes, competitions and sports both indoors and out. There was tug-of-war, outside ball hockey, badminton, inside floor hockey, wheelbarrow races, a hammer competition and other fun events like a Fear Factor eating competition and a crazy hair day.

Grade 7 student Wallace Goose said his favourite part of Snow Week is dressing up but loves the activities that spice up a regular school week.

"I love the games. It's really fun, lots of people get to do it and they happen all around the school. It's pretty enjoyable," said Goose.

Guy said Snow Week was revived about seven years ago. It used to pit grades head to head in competition, but now the whole school is divided into house teams, allowing the grades to mingle.

"It's nicer in a lot of ways because you've got a nice mixture of kids from grades 7 through 12," he said.

He said the timing is perfect, with Snow Week finishing up on Thursday afternoon, right before the Muskrat Jamboree, which kicks off on Friday evening. Guy said it gives an added incentive for students to come to school during a time of year when attendance begins to wane a bit.

"Kids have a harder time getting up and going to school because they're going to bed so late, it's getting so light. This is one of the things that helps us, encourages kids to come to school. It breaks up that spring fever."

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