Aqsarniit concert was impressive

I have noticed that our schools seem to offer a lot of opportunities for parents to see their children outside of the classroom and in another learning environment.

We have the high school drama program with their annual plays, Joamie School with cultural activities and a family carnival, and Nakasuk just recently held a cultural day. I try my best to attend all of these but sometimes it just does not happen. Recently I was able to attend the concert put on by the students and staff of Aqsarniit School.

I went with my family expecting to see the normal school concert of a few highlights and maybe the usual drum dance and some signing. Boy, was I in for a surprise as we walked into a packed gym and a stage full of kids!

As I sat and watched the kids doing skits on playground bullying, singing songs about working together, and giving messages out about how un-cool drugs and alcohol are, I found myself becoming more and more impressed. These kids put some real effort into the program. They were supporting each other on stage and even encouraging there friends when a minor mistake was made. The staff got involved singing a few songs and everyone played their parts. I even saw a couple of the students working the sound and light systems.

I am not here to talk about how impressive the show was but about the people behind the scenes. Every school has them and you can really notice it when a school starts to believe in a program they are running. You can see it in how the staff and the students come together for a common purpose, and I saw it this night. There were many safe messages on this night but the underlying one I believe was “by working together we can achieve anything we set our minds to.”

One of the main people associated with this production was Carol Horn. At the end of the night the students called Carol up and presented her with a bouquet of flowers. Carol turned the thank you around to the students mentioning that it was their dream, their show and their ideas that were presented on the stage that night. You could see the mutual respect by the staff and the students between them all. This only comes from the dedication and determination of the people working there.

As a parent I am always concerned about the environment that my children attend school in. When I went to Aqsarniit School and saw what I saw last week I wonder about my own children and what it would be like to see them in that positive environment. I am sure that I am like many other parents.

I was very happy to hear that Carol will be coming to Nakasuk School as the principal next year. I am looking forward to her wisdom, her energy, and her visions being reflected in the school’s programs. She will find that she has a very dedicated and very strong staff that will be willing to work with her. She will also find a very dedicated and determined DEA that is here to support her.

Mike Courtney
Iqaluit