December

Photo taken by Cpt. Mitchelmore.

A lot has happened in the last two weeks.  So much that it has kept me from spending time on keeping my blog up to date. I'll have to be quick because there's still much to do.

            

Wow, I can't believe that it's already the month of December!  Christmas is in the air with stores blaring holiday tunes and selling gifts to curious customers.  Many buildings around town, including the Legislative Assembly, are decorated with bright lights and Christmas ornaments.  They're frequently on because the days are very short.  There's sunlight only between 8am to 3pm.  But I hear that the shortest day of the year will be around December 21 or 22nd.        

            

Speaking of December 21, apparently that will be the day when the world will come to an end.  This belief stems from the fact that the 5125-year-long-cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar ends on that day.  To make a long story short, the world will not end.  I'm still baffled by humankind's fascination with the end of the world.  Every generation, someone shows up and declares that the world will end on a chosen day.  And as always, that day comes and goes with nothing bad happening.  

            

On November 27, the cadets of 795 Iqaluit Air Squadron were having a boot polishing party.  The junior cadets learned how to polish their parade boots from the senior cadets.  What's required are: Kiwi cloths & polish, and a spare toothbrush.  Polishing boots is a task that requires time and patience; it can't be done quickly.  As I watched the cadets work, memories of polishing my parade boots when I was an army cadet surfaced.  When it was time for a break, the cadets ate pizza.

            

Photo taken by Cpt. Mitchelmore.

I was glad that I attended because the new drums I requested  had finally arrived.  The air squadron was now the proud owners of one Yamaha marching bass drum, two Yamaha marching snare drums, and three harnesses.  I was also happy to see that St. John Music in Ottawa threw in 4 high tension tuning keys and 3 regular tuning keys for free.  At the request of the Training Officer, I took one of the snare drums and did a quick demonstration in front of the entire squadron.    

            

My Grade 11 English class recently finished the Media Literacy Unit, looking at persuasive techniques, propaganda, advertising, news reporting, photographs, and product placement.  They also looked at the roles of social networks and video websites on the Internet because they play a huge part in their lives.  For the next several weeks, they're going to study the classic Shakespearean play Macbeth.  Thinking back to my high school, I think I also studied Macbeth when I was in Grade 11.

            

With the topic of Shakespeare on my mind, Renata's Grade 12 English class performed several key scenes from Shakespeare's Hamlet in the library on November 30.  Those key scenes were [spoiler alert]: Hamlet kills Polonius; the death of Ophelia; and the final fight between Hamlet and Laertes.  Since attendance was open to any classes, I let my English students watch the performance.  In fact, many classes came to watch.  I was glad that I brought my camera to film the event because Renata is also the Drama Teacher, meaning the students' acting would be very good.  And it was.  The best part of the performance was at the end when the students put a modern spin on Hamlet by interviewing the main characters in the style of The Jerry Springer Show.  No chairs were thrown but there were some tense & funny moments.

            

On Tuesday, December 4, two representatives from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) visited Inuksuk High School to show several short films that were produced on Inuit culture.  The NFB is a Canadian government agency that was established in 1939 with the aim of producing and distributing documentaries, alternative dramas, animations, and later digital animations.  Since its creation, the organization has produced over 13,000 films which have won 5,000 awards.  In 2006, the NFB & Inuit Broadcasting Corporation launched the Nunavut Animation Lab, offering animation training to Nunavut artists.

            

For this presentation, the four videos were shown.  The first video was called How to Build an Igloo and it was produced in 1949.  (The English narrator used the term Eskimo instead of Inuit).  The next video (produced in the 1950s) talked about Inuit life in northern Canada during the brief summer months.  The third video, made in 1981, was called Northern Games and it showcased the competitiveness of northern athletes.  And the last video was an animation called Lumaajuuq and it was made in 2010.

            

On December 6 during last period, the entire school engaged in a Christmas door decorating contest.  The students in my group decided to turn one of my doors to the music room into a green elf with a red Santa hat.  When time was up everyone headed down to the cafeteria for hot chocolate & cookies.  While everyone ate & drank, the doors were judged by the vice principal and two visiting RCMP officers.  My group didn't win but it was nice to see students being creative.  When school was dismissed, I walked around and photographed the brightly decorated doors.

            

As for my 3 music classes, the last two weeks has all been about preparing for the upcoming Christmas concert on Tuesday, December 11.  Many classes and lunchtimes were spent reviewing and practicing the selected repertoire.  All that time & effort will be on display in three days.  The scheduling arrangements have been completed; all that's left is putting a program booklet together and to write my speeches.  This experience has taught me that planning an event of any size takes a lot of time & effort.  And when you're doing it alone, the duties & responsibilities are even greater.  Despite being a little nervous, I'm certain that everything will be alright on Tuesday night.