INUVIK
Some people leave behind legacies built in brick and mortar, wood and stone. They may have arenas and roads and parks named after them, and monuments may be erected in their honour.

Sandra Ipana, centre, receives the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence for her work at Sir Alexander Mackenzie School's Invialuktun-immersion kindergarten class in 2011. With her are fellow kindergarten teacher Jane Dale, left, and then-Beaufort Delta Education Council superintendent Roy Cole. - NNSL file photo

It's too early to tell what surely will be built for or named after Sandra Ipana, but one thing is certain; her legacy is one of flesh and blood, a living, breathing thing.

"All you can ask for in a parent is that they help point the way, and she did that," said Ipana's son Mickey Ipana. "I'm blessed to have her as a mom, a mentor, and a teacher."

Sandra passed away as a result of liver cancer in the morning of July 30 in Inuvik.

"It was sudden, but she was at peace with herself," Mickey said. "She was ready to go home. We couldn't do anything. she was just ready to go home."

Sandra was born in Aklavik in 1957 and was adopted by the Allen family. She grew up in the Delta and attended residential school in Inuvik. While raising a family, she went on to become a teacher in 1991 at Sir Alexander Mackenzie School, a vocation she was still pursuing this last school year.

Fellow teacher Margaret Gordon has two grandsons going into kindergarten this fall. She said they couldn't wait to be in "Ilihauri's" class. Ilihauri was the name she was known by.

Sandra taught children as they first entered the school system, with both parents and pupils asking for her specifically. Gordon said the other kindergarten class would often have maybe 15 children in it, while Sandra's Inuvialuktun class would be bursting at the seams with 25 or 30.

"She was such a calm person," Gordon said. "She was always prepared. She went in to the school every Sunday to prepare."

Sandra won awards and honours for her language teaching from all level of government, including the national Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence in 2011. But her focus was always the children she taught and passing on traditions. She instilled in her students and everyone she helped raise an appreciation for the culture and the Inuvialuktun language.

"A big part of it would be the culture," said Gordon. "The language, and being the best person you could be."

But her teaching was hardly reserved for children. Gordon recounted how Sandra would always have people around her, helping and learning from her as a teacher and a leader. That leadership, however, was never heavy handed.

"She was firm when she needed to be," Gordon said. "Even with adults, if something needed to be said, she would say it. But she was never pushy, she always had respect for people."

The work didn't stop when Sandra left school. She was instrumental in all kinds of landmark community events like the Muskrat Jamboree and the Northern Games, among many others. Once again, she was a leader more by practice than by inclination.

"It was just a natural trait in her," said Mickey. "Her hard work would just rub off on everybody . She just has a way of bringing everything together, holding it all together."

Her son also noted that while his father, the late Roy Ipana, was often the public face of many initiatives, none of it would have been possible without Sandra.

"Behind the scenes, she was definitely keeping the engine going," he said.

Witness and co-conspirator to many of Sandra's endeavours, former Inuvialuit Regional Corporation chairperson Nellie Cournoyea said she didn't remember when they had first met - just that they had "always been there together."

"We had a really strong community working relationship," she said. "She knew what had to be done . She was a woman to be admired and respected, to give you that extra boost when you needed it."

As an organizer, she brought other volunteers into the fold, showing them by example how to run events and get things done. Mickey said he and others would continue his parents' work with Northern Games, not out of a sense of duty to their memories, but because they value the games and traditions themselves.

"Anything we can do for the community, to put smiles on people's faces, we'll do that," he said. "Traditions and family . that's all you've got."

Mickey thanked all the people who flooded the Lighthouse Church Aug. 4 for the funeral service, as well as everyone who has offered their support in the community. He called knowing so many people were supporting the family a blessing.

"She has done a lot and set a really high standard. Her legacy would be that she was all inclusive. There are a lot of people left behind who worked with her," said Cournoyea. "She has built a group of people around her, and they will carry on her work, but she will be very missed."

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