Kugaaruk students back to school
All grades in class, one month and one week after fire destroyed Kugaardjuk Ilihakvik
Beth Brown
Northern News Services
Monday, April 17, 2017
KUGAARUK
April 10 marked the first day of full-time class for all students in Kugaaruk, after a fire that left the hamlet's only school in ruins on March 1.
An elementary class in Kugaaruk is back to work following a fire that destroyed their school, March 1. While younger students started classes only days after the fire, all classes were officially back in session April 10. - photo courtesy of Kugaardjuk Ilihakvik |
Kindergarten, preschool and high school students were back to their studies shortly after the fire but remaining grades have been getting by on extracurricular activities.
Grades 1 to 6 now have classrooms in the community church, and Grades 7 to 9 are in the old hamlet building.
Dividers have been set up in the gym to create separated classrooms for individual grades.
"They have whiteboards, projectors, printers, laptops, student essentials, tables and chairs," said principal Jerry Maciuk, who had just returned from gathering attendance at all classroom locations when he spoke to News/North.
The first full day back saw an attendance between 75 and 85 per cent for elementary grades and 70 to 80 per cent for junior and senior high grades, which is pretty good for such a temporary set-up, said Maciuk.
"Our school has one of the best attendance in Nunavut."
It will take three to five years to construct a new school, so efforts to date have been to finish the current year smoothly.
"We are going to manage, only eight weeks left," he said early last week. "Our main target is graduation."
He estimated high school students lost as few as 10 instructional hours following the fire.
The community is expecting a record eight high school graduates. The graduation ceremony will take place near the end of May.
Following the fire, a group of Grade 2 students took it upon themselves to petition the Department of Education for a solution to their loss.
A letter bearing signatures from the young class was given to departmental representatives who visited the hamlet following the tragedy.
"It wasn't staged," said Maciuk, who also noted younger students are beginning to understand that a new school will take time.
Portables arriving on the summer sealift will be used for Grades 1 through 6, and grades 7 to 9 will continue studies in the old hamlet gym. Space for high school classes is still being determined.
"In a small community like this, a school is a main focus," said Maciuk.
But it' not just about a building, he added.
"Also the climate, atmosphere and culture of the school. This good culture and good spirit of the school is prevailing."
The school encourages community spirit events to keep student morale up in the aftermath of the fire.
A youth is charged with arson in relation to the fire. The value of the burned building is estimated at $30 to $40 million.
