A group of senior high students from grades 10 to 12 took part in the first of a number of springtime trips out on the land at Tuugaalik High School in Naujaat on April 26.

The groupSA国际影视传媒檚 main guide was Laimmiki Malliki from the high school and there were also five senior high teachers on the journey.

Vice-principal Julia MacPherson said students from a few classes at the senior high level will be going out on the land again in the coming week.

She said 30 of the more than 50 students who returned their permission slips to go showed-up on the morning of April 26.

SA国际影视传媒淟aimmiki (Malliki) arranged the trip and had everything set-up, and the group took off a little after 10 a.m. that Friday morning,SA国际影视传媒� said MacPherson.

SA国际影视传媒淭hey did a little hunting and fishing and, even though many students were jigging, Grade 10 student Shane Mapsalak caught the only fish of the day, so he did a victory dance and cheer that was actually quite exciting.

SA国际影视传媒淕rade 10 student Angelina Siusangnark, 16, caught her first caribou on the trip and she was very excited and proud.

SA国际影视传媒淭hey butchered the caribou to cut-up the meat and she took it all home to her family.SA国际影视传媒�

MacPherson said the Naujaat students love the land trips, which they see as a definite highlight of the school year.

She said the trips are an important part of the schoolSA国际影视传媒檚 curriculum, in order to foster Inuit culture and language.

SA国际影视传媒淕regg Durrant and Nikki James, who are from Jamaica, went on the trip. It was NikkiSA国际影视传媒檚 first land trip and they had a lot of fun and quite a few new experiences.

SA国际影视传媒淭he ice was clear of snow, so it had that deep blue colour with, kind of, ripples in it SA国际影视传媒� and it was the first time Nikki had ever stood on ice like that, when it feels like itSA国际影视传媒檚 water.

SA国际影视传媒淭he students were excited and trying to tell her that everything was OK, and she could take their hands if she wanted to walk on the ice, as they were all taking pictures in good fun.SA国际影视传媒�

MacPherson said the land trips are very important to the students and itSA国际影视传媒檚 nice for everyone to have a chance to get out on the land to hunt and fish.

She said some of the students even went over to sit in the sand that had been blown into a little hill out on the land.

SA国际影视传媒淭hey just went over, sat in the sand, chatted, and just enjoyed being outside.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 also a really good opportunity for the students to interact with the teachers in a different setting, where the student becomes the teacher, especially for some of our teachers who are visiting here from the south or somewhere like Jamaica.SA国际影视传媒�

MacPherson said school administrators try to get every student on at least two trips per year, one in the early fall and one in the spring.

She said they hope to have two or three more trips before the end of May, with the final day of school being June 6.

SA国际影视传媒淭he Grade 8 and Grade 9 students will, hopefully, be going together, and weSA国际影视传媒檙e hoping to send two more senior high classes.

SA国际影视传媒淚t will be a great opportunity for one class thatSA国际影视传媒檚 working on a project with a member of the health centre, and the other trip will be for any student who didnSA国际影视传媒檛 get to go on the first one.

SA国际影视传媒淭he process of going out, learning and acquiring some of the land skills SA国际影视传媒� setting-up and taking-down camp, packing a qamutiik, fishing, hunting and reading the land SA国际影视传媒� thatSA国际影视传媒檚 all incorporated into our curriculum in each grade.SA国际影视传媒�