INUVIK
The silly season – or at least the silly week – is upon the Aurora Campus.

Ruby Ruben, front, and Danielle Elanik, looked like they were having a lot of fun walking the plank during the kick-off event for Aurora College Week on Feb. 17. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

Staff at the post-secondary institution launched Aurora College Week with the sounds of laughter echoing through the halls on Feb. 18.

That was due to staff and students talking part in a "plank walk" where teams of four people raced each other to the finish line in a synchronized game using a pair of cloth "planks" or skis. Some teams, of course, mastered the technique well before others.

Fun and frivolity aside, Doug Robertson, the director the Aurora Campus, said there was a more serious aspect to the light heartedness.

Robertson said the week provided a chance for students and staff to unwind a bit as the academic year hit the approximate halfway mark.

"Aurora College week is a little bit of a different animal," he said. "We take to time to do some activities together, and it's the time of year when we take a little bit of a break and show the community what Aurora College is all about. So often we get caught up in what we're doing. It's very insular and this week is a chance to invite the community into the college and see what the college is about and what we're doing."

Surveys show a large majority of students at Aurora College – more than 90 per cent – thoroughly enjoy their program and would recommend it to others, and that's a message the community at large needs to hear, he said.

"This falls in nearly the middle of our year," student life and wellness co-ordinator Jonathan Wood added. "Some of you are close to the end of your program, others could be just starting or are back from placements. This is a way to sort of have a secondary intro week to the college."

A full slate of activities for the students and staff were scheduled to foster campus spirit. Other events, including tugs-of-war, introductions to badminton and Gym Boss, movies and an elders tea and lunch, were also slated.

From Monday through Thursday free lunches were available most days, as well as free breakfasts Monday and Thursday.

A community barbecue was scheduled for Feb. 20.

Many of the students liked the idea of the week's festivities.

"It's a really good opportunity for the two centres (Aurora Campus and the Aurora College Learning Centre) to come together," said Danielle Elanik.