KIVALLIQ
The year 2014 is a noteworthy one for science lovers across the Kivalliq.

Project partners Micheal Illnik, left, and John Jr. Tugak of Arviat conduct a scientific demonstration on inertia as Philip Okatsiak, back, and a visiting science lover keep an eye on the proceedings at the Kivalliq Regional Science Fair in Arviat earlier this month. - photo courtesy Brandon Otway

The year marks the 20th anniversary of the Kivalliq Science Educators' Community (KSEC).

Jim Kreuger of Kivalliq School Operations in Baker Lake has been involved with KSEC in one way or another since its launch.

Kreuger said KSEC was founded in Rankin Inlet in March of 1994, following the regional science fair.

He said at the time, there was an organization known as the Science Institute in the NWT that announced it was no longer funding science fairs after many years.

"When all the schools came to the Rankin fair, we met at Sue Denison's house and a number of issues hit the table," recalls Kreuger.

"We all thought these were valuable activities that engaged students, and everyone wanted the science fair to move around the region instead of always being in Rankin.

"So, the impetus behind us forming an organization stemmed from us wanting to continue engaging kids in science after losing the institute funding.

"We started off being known as the Keewatin Regional Science Fair Organizing Committee and we grew from there."

The committee continued to add programs, such as the science Olympics, science camp and math month, as the years went past.

The additional programming led to a change in name in 2004, and the group became known as the Science Educators' Community.

A constitution soon followed, and the group grew its partnerships, funding base and programming depth.

Kreuger said the formation of Nunavut saw the group become aware of the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) principles.

He said once they were documented in educational literature, the group immediately looked at how to strengthen and support the IQ principles.

"We looked at the eight founding IQ principles and either adapted our programs to support them, or, did an analysis of our programs and drew them out.

"We tried to make our program both supportive and integrative with the culture of Nunavut.

"And, although it made it more difficult for us to get funding from Yellowknife, with Nunavut came a lot of strong partners regionally located in the Kivalliq."

Kreuger said the science fair remains one of KSEC's cornerstone programs.

He said 20 years ago, the top one-to-five finishers all came from Rankin Inlet, while, today, it's hard for any student to win the event.

"So, the biggest change I've seen in 20 years is the increased success coming from all of the schools, rather than it being concentrated in one area.

"The program has won over many people during the years, but it's not uniform because there's people who, while they don't deny it's engaging and fun, question whether it's valuable education.

"There are skeptics who want proof and, to them, just because you're in a tent out on the land for five days and you study rocks, how do you know learning is taking place?

"That's led to KSEC being more aware of educational accountability, so it's not 100 per cent negative, even though some of the hardest people to convince have been people close to us in terms of educational distance."

Victor Sammurtok teacher Glen Brocklebank of Chesterfield Inlet is now in his 13th year with KSEC and is a staunch supporter of its programming.

Brocklebank said KSEC's biggest strength is its human resources.

He said he was instantly hooked by KSEC during his first year in Chester.

"I was only here a month when I attended my first KSEC event," said Brocklebank.

"I was exposed to things we could do with experiential learning, met new teachers and realized I wasn't alone.

"Listening to other teachers talk about how they overcame the challenges they faced made a big impression upon me.

"The whole idea of the science community was something I felt right away."

Brocklebank said he was encouraged, and allowed, to play to his teaching strengths.

He said he took what he learned from activities such as the science fair and science camp and translated them into his everyday teaching.

"Whale Cove is now interested in holding a science camp and, although it's not confirmed yet, it would mark the first time for Whale to ever hold the event.

"We seem to attract teachers who are doers and they're willing to promote our activities at their schools, such as math month or the Science Engineering Technology Challenge.

"To me, that's also a testament to the hiring we've been doing in our schools.

"As a region, we're attracting science and math teachers who are willing to do things with their students and, to me, you really can't ask for anything much more than that."