Into October

For the last two weeks, things have been steadily moving along.  Hard to believe that it's already the month of October.  The teachers here have told me that once you get through September, it's smooth sailing until the end.  I do agree with the observation because I just recently noticed that it has been over a week since my last post.  Time for a recap.    

            

On Saturday, September 29, all of Canada was celebrating Sports Day, 'a national celebration of sport at all levels.'  The staff & cadets of 795 Iqaluit Air Squadron promoted the event by hosting a sports day of its own at the Cadet Hall.  A good twenty-eight cadets showed up to participate in a variety of sports activities.

            

For the first half, cadets were divided into 3 groups and engaged in a round robin of team games.  Several of these were: shooting hoops, bean bag toss, over & under with a ball, passing a volleyball in a circle, and trying to stand on a box as a group.  The most challenging activity was the two-by-four walk.  Four people had to stand on two wooden planks and walk around the parade square, moving their left & right feet at the same time.  Let's just say there was a lot of falling down moments.  

            

The second half of the sports day was devoted to activities that pitted teams against each other.  The first activity was a funny relay race where cadets had to run to the middle of the parade square, put on female pantyhose using oven mitts, and then quickly take them off and run back to tag the next person in line.  Yeah, don't ask.  Next came several rounds of volleyball & handball.  By the end of the day, everyone was tired from running around but it was a day well spent promoting physical fitness & health.  We ended the event with a group photo in front of the cadet hall.

            

The following Saturday (October 6), the cadets of 795 participated in a Power Familiarizing Flying Exercise.  In two separate groups, cadets were driven to the Iqaluit Airport where they strapped themselves into a small 18-seat turboprop and were given a free 25-miunte flight over Iqaluit and the surrounding area.  I tagged along with the second group to provide adult supervision and to take photos.  For safety, passengers were given complimentary ear plugs and air sickness bags. 

            

After arriving at the terminal, we were driven to the red & white turboprop by bus.  Once we all climbed aboard, the copilot gave us a quick safety briefing before he sat in the cockpit with the pilot.  I was glad that I swallowed some Gravol before we arrived because the copilot informed everyone that there would be moments in the flight where the plane would suddenly descend and ascend.  Seated next to a window right behind the cockpit, I watched in silence as the plane was brought to life and slowly taxied to the runway.  With my digital camera, I filmed the take off and the first five minutes of the flight.  Thereafter, I took still photographs and of course, enjoyed the ride. 

            

One specific location we flew over was the remote cabin the air squadron owns several kilometres to the south of Iqaluit.  The cabin is used for Field Training eXercises (FTXs) out on the land.  Due to the rough terrain, it takes several hours to get there on foot, ATV, and snowmobile.  The pilots flew the plane as low as 200 feet, flying between steep cliffs and skimming over water and the rocky terrain.  Judging from the all faces, the cadets really enjoyed the experience.  On the way back to the airport, we flew past a sea lift vessel that was anchored in the bay.  When the plane landed, the pilots received an applause from the passengers.  As well, everyone was relieved that no air sickness bags were used.  Lunch was provided at the Legion for cadets & staff.  As always, the prime roast was delicious.

            

My Grade 10 guitarists have formally been introduced to basic music theory, that is, learning how to read traditional music notation.  The standard notation method has been present since the beginning of the semester but more as background information.  (My students prefer reading guitar tablature).  However, since it's been there from the beginning, my students weren't combative when I formally introduced it.  My guitarists won't be participating in the upcoming Halloween concert but they will get their performing chance at the year-end Christmas concert.

            

On that note, the Halloween concert is a go and my juniors & senior musicians are doing their best to get the all the notes & rhythms right.  Next week, both groups will start practicing together during lunch time.  Even though the concert is still two weeks away, I hope the other scores I ordered arrive in time.

            

At this time, my Grade 11 English students have read more than half of the novella, Of Mice & Men by John Steinbeck.  At the beginning, most of my students were shy at reading out loud, but after some prodding and constant positive reinforcement, many have 'broken-out-of-their-shell(s)' and enjoy reading to the class.

            

With the arrival of October, I thought the snow would start falling almost immediately.  True, there was one day where snow fell for a short time, but since then, nothing.  That hasn't stopped the temperature from steadily dropping.  The lows are now slightly below zero and it'll only continue to drop from now on.  Because of this, people have been able to see their breaths for the last several days.  Snowfall is expected for Thursday & Friday, so maybe this time, the snow will stay rather than melt.