Interviews About the Program

Arctic 2006

The Arctic is a vast and beautiful area, which is little known or studied by the students of Canada. The United Nations has recently designated 2007-2008 as "International Polar Year" and a time to explore this area and its people. Through the coordinated efforts of the Canadian Coast Guard and Greater Victoria School District staff, students in the Arctic will be able to share their rich heritage and unique environmental qualities with the rest of Canada. In 2006, the CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier, deployed from Victoria, British Columbia on a 4-month mission, carried one Canadian teacher to live first hand the remoteness and beauty of the Arctic.

The primary goal of this project is to educate participating students and teachers about the Canadian Coast Guard and the Arctic. Students will be able to demonstrate awareness of the many roles the coast guard plays in the north,and to describe the variety of careers onboard the icebreaker. Over the duration of this project students will learn about the Arctic in the areas of Social Studies and Science spanning Grades K-12, with a specific focus each year in one of the following areas: Elementary, Middle or Secondary.

In 2006 the focus was on an elementary (Grade 2) Social Studies unit on communities. The teacher's experiences on this trip to the Arctic were conveyed to students through classroom activities. The result was that the students are be able to describe ways members of an Arctic community meet one another’s needs, and identify changes in the school and community throughout the year. Through this process the children of the Arctic have an opportunity to share their rich heritage with the rest of Canada.