TALOYOAK/SPENCE BAY
Netsilik Ilihakvik principal Gina Pizzo is disappointed.

Youth in Taloyoak ripped through and destroyed an estimated $6,272.18 worth of school supplies freshly arrived on the sealift at Netsilik Ilihakvik in the early morning hours of Oct. 4. - photo courtesy of Gina Pizzo

She received a call Sunday morning, Oct. 4, alerting her that youth had gotten into pallets filled with school supplies. Pizzo estimates the school lost $6,272.18 worth of supplies, not including shipping, to the act of vandalism.

"It is always very disappointing to see something like this happen," stated Pizzo by e-mail. "And of course the biggest irony is that the people who did this are the ones for whom these supplies were meant to be used - notebooks, books, art supplies, glue, puppets, listening centres, book shelves, etc."

Several people contacted Pizzo throughout the day and she was able to piece together that the vandalism occurred between 2 and 4 a.m. Oct. 4. The youth were chased off by witnesses.

"The RCMP was called right away and took some pictures and it is an open investigation right now," she said. "Sixteen names were reported to me of youth and children alleged to have been seen taking part in the vandalism and I have given those names to the RCMP. There were a few very young teenagers and several more preteens on the list."

Pizzo was not aware the pallets had been delivered.

"I had been searching for them for a few days and there had been some confusion as to which container they had been in. The shipping company had come in and out so quickly because they were trying to avoid bad weather and the original container number I had been given was incorrect," Pizzo said.

"When it was finally sorted out through e-mails and phone calls I found the right container and had asked for them to be delivered on the Friday morning but by day's end they had not been delivered yet and I thought they would be brought up on Monday."

Normally supplies are immediately brought into the school to protect from the elements and this sort of vandalism.

"That area of the school faces the edge of town so I suspect it went on for quite a while without anyone realizing. A lot of the supplies were destroyed or stolen," said Pizzo.

"There was a big mess of course and the markers found in the pallets were used for graffiti on the outside walls, especially the corner of the building where the Nunavut Arctic College is located."

Staff salvaged through the mess and saved a few items.

"We brought what was salvageable into the industrial arts classroom to sort it into piles and inventory it against the purchase orders/invoices. That part was completed yesterday (Oct. 7) afternoon."

The principal is also disappointed at the lack of respect being shown to the school building.

"We were fortunate to have a fresh paint job done on the interior and exterior of the school this past year, as well as a complete resurfacing of the gym walls and some other minor projects," she said.

"It was nice that everything was looking new and fresh for the staff and students return in August, but in a very short time we have seen a decline in all that work because of senseless vandalism like graffiti, pulling boards off the outside of the building, putting burn marks on the outside walls and plexiglass."

Pizzo described the somber mood in the school when classes resumed Oct. 5.

"Things were very quiet Monday morning. As the morning began I had several children and teenagers who quietly found their way to me to let me know who was responsible," she said.

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