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Connected North Project links CCS students with students from Rankin Inlet

On December 14 and 19, Grade 12 students from Canora Composite School (CCS) participated in an inter-provincial sharing of community and values through the Connected North Project with students from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.
Connected North
The Canora Composite School’s English Language Arts (ELA) A30 class posed for a picture with the students from Rankin Inlet via live video as part of the Connected North Project, which allowed students to share what life is like in their communities. Canora students, from left, are: (back row) April Jennings, Paityn Zuravloff, Amber Weinbender, Graeme Wilgosh, Nathan Bucsis and Bryce Pelechaty, and (front) Logan Statchuk, Kody Checkowy, Abbey Sakal, Emma Eiteneier, Kaitlyn Landstad, and Taralee Bazarski. Janayah Merriam was absent.

            On December 14 and 19, Grade 12 students from Canora Composite School (CCS) participated in an inter-provincial sharing of community and values through the Connected North Project with students from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.

            Katherine Leblanc, former CCS principal and now principal of Simon Alaittuq School in Rankin Inlet, and Ronda O’Dell, CCS English Language Arts (ELA) A30 teacher, used the program as a platform for students to share what life is like in their communities, said O’Dell.

            Even though the two communities are nearly 1,400 kilometres apart, modern technology allowed the students to learn together about each other in real time.

            Connected North fosters student engagement and enhanced education outcomes in remote Indigenous communities. It gives students the opportunity to immerse themselves in experiences outside the classroom and learn about other Canadian perspectives, said O’Dell.

            “Students were invited to draw upon a topic that was relevant to their culture and community and then to share this information with the other class via a live presentation. Each presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session where students were encouraged to gather more information.”

            Presentation topics ranged from Ukrainian heritage, weather and seasonal differences, recreation and hunting practices.  Throughout the presentations, students learned a lot about each other’s lives, and while there were many differences, students on both ends were surprised at the many similarities our cultures share, said O’Dell.

            “The students of Rankin Inlet educated us on topics such as the Inuit language, clothing, diet and hunting practices. Perhaps one of the more intriguing presentations was on whale hunting and the tools used in the process.”

            O’Dell said using modern technology in this way turned out to be very beneficial.

            “We hope to do this again as students really enjoyed learning about another culture in real time.”