So long and thanks for all the fish

KIRSTEN MURPHY

James Parsons is leaving Cape Dorset after eight years as a teacher and principal at Peter Pitseolak school.

The respected coach, skilled hunter and new father is returning to Newfoundland to raise his family.

“Care packages from Cape Dorset will always be welcome,” Parsons said, referring to his lingering taste for seal and caribou meat.

Parsons moved to Cape Dorset in 1994 after working as a high school teacher and adult educator in Newfoundland. His eight-year tenure at the school was one of the longest in the community.

Of the many projects Parsons’ oversaw, the introduction of Grade 12 at Peter Pitseolak school in 1998 generates the greatest satisfaction.

“It’s very gratifying when you see them reach a goal that very few individuals have reached in this community. I referred to them as being part of a prestigious minority,” he said.

Eight students graduated from the school this year, the largest number ever.

“I’ve known them since they were in Grade 4 and I’ve had the opportunity to watch them develop into respectable, responsible young adults,” Parsons said.

The community gave him a sealskin vest during this year’s grad ceremonies as a going-away gift.

South Baffin MLA Olayuk Akesuk worked with Parsons back when Akesuk was employed with the hamlet. Akesuk will remember Parsons as one of the few non-Inuit who harvested a seal at a seal hole.

“No matter what he’d been hunting, he’d share [the meat] with the community. He and his wife Wendy, a social worker, made a huge contribution,” Akesuk said.

Lou Budgell, president of the Federation of Nunavut Teachers’, said Parsons’ shoes will be hard to fill.

“It’s always sad to see an educator leave the North, especially when it’s someone who has dedicated as much time to the community as James,” Budgell said.

June 26 is Parsons’ last day in the community.

“I expect it will be a very tough day,” Parsons said.