The Second Week

Unlike the previous two weeks, the second week of the school year was calmer and mostly uneventful.  The fun & glamour of going back to school had faded and students realized that there was work and studying to be done.  Instead of running around, I was now spending most of my time correcting work and recording marks. 

            

Classes were only interrupted twice by fire drills, giving staff & students the opportunity to memorize where the exits are and where to assemble outside.  I was never a fan of the fire alarm when I was in school because it was loud, piercing, and prone to cause headaches.  Now it's just a minor inconvenience.

            

In guitar world, my grade 10s focused on learning several classic rock riffs.  They had requested them and I happily obliged because the riffs also showed them how chords are used to write catchy tunes.  My Grade 11 English students read several more short stories on a variety of topics.  Next week, we would begin the poetry unit.  My senior musicians focused on the jazz piece Take Five by Paul Desmond & The Final Countdown by Europe.  As for my junior musicians, they were still in the noise-making stage so I focused on getting them to make actual sounds with their instruments.  I hoped that actual music would emerge next week.       

            

On Tuesday, when I was going home for lunch, I spotted a rather large airplane approaching the airport.  At first, I thought it was a First Air cargo plane bringing supplies but as it flew by, I saw that the plane belonged to American Airlines.  I don't recall American Airlines serving Iqaluit, I thought to myself.  After researching on the Internet, it turns out the large Boeing 777 had to make an unexpected landing due to a medical emergency.  The flight originated from London's Heathrow Airport and was flying to Los Angeles.  One person was taken to the hospital and released shortly after.  Iqaluit is located near the over-the-top route used by commercial planes to ferry passengers between North America and Europe.  The paved runway is long enough to handle the largest passenger planes.

            

All over town, I spotted people taking pictures of landmarks and the surrounding landscape with expensive cameras.  Upon looking out into Frobisher Bay, I noticed that a small cruise ship had arrived.  A cargo vessel had arrived as well and was anchored several metres behind the cruise ship.  Since there is no deep sea port for docking, tourists were ferried to land by small boats.  After doing some research on the Internet I'm willing to bet that the company that operated the cruise ship was One Ocean Expeditions.  I should have asked a passing tourist for confirmation but didn't have the time. 

            

On Thursday night, I attended a brief meeting with the officers of 795 Iqaluit Air Squadron.  We discussed the upcoming training year, special events, and what clubs would be supported.  I was glad to hear that the squadron was able to secure the funding I requested for the band program we wanted to start.  All that was required now was to get the necessary cadets to carry and play the instruments.  A recruiting drive took place at the high school this past Saturday, and from what I heard, we got several new recruits.  

            

To finish off the second week of school, students were allowed to sign up for extra-curricular activities during last period on Friday.  I let it be known that the music room would be open to students after school if they wanted to jam with others or write music.  I was glad to see that quite a few had signed up.  The Physical Education teachers also hosted a Ring Road event where those students who signed up, ran the entire length of Ring Road, the main artery that runs through the centre of town.  Conveniently, the road circles the high school.

            

And lastly, Arctic Ventures, a locally owned store that has been selling food, pet supplies, electronics, and clothes since 1985, has recently been sold to Arctic Co-operatives.  The new owners take over on November 1st.  The previous proprietor, Kenn Harper, believes that there won't be any major changes once the new owners move in.  If that's true, then I guess the anti-loitering music will continue to play outside the front entrance.