Queen Charlotte City -Masset

Sitting in the ferry lineup seems like as good a place as any to do some updating on our journey! It’s 10pm, and we’re awaiting our midnight-7AM trip back across Hecate Strait into Prince Rupert again.

Haida Gwaii has been quite the challenge and such an adventure! We did presentations at Queen Charlotte Secondary yesterday in the morning, and were very impressed with the intelligent and insightful questions posed by the students - clearly the wheels are turning! Many of the students are also planning to come to VIU when they graduate, so we look forward to seeing them again and perhaps having them as part of ACER!

Saying goodbye to two fantastic teachers at Queen Charlotte Secondary

On Wednesday night we traveled up to Masset, and checked in to the Alaska View Lodge - we were sure there was actually a view of Alaska, but with the thick fog we didn't see it!  Some of the truck space (well, a fair bit) is now stuffed with shells and stones that we accumulated while beach-walking. For dinner our hostess recommended a new restaurant just down the road, which produces and cooks to order all their menu items for prices that were way to reasonable for the fantastic quality of food we feasted on! Since there were no other guests at the lodge, we had the hot tub all to ourselves as well :) Our time on the north shore was definitely too short (only 15 hours including sleep), but thankfully we started today with a massive breakfast of local bacon and eggs, homemade bread and the essential coffee before heading to George M Dawson Secondary in Masset.

 Here we had the opportunity to teach to a wide range of different classes, from Science 8 and 9 to Biology 11 and Social Studies 9. It was a busy day at the school, as Science World was presenting as well! The teachers were great, and we had a wonderful time presenting - even our touchy Radiant Warming of CO2 experiment was working well! It seems Jeremy has finally worked out most of the kinks J The school has also just installed a brand new greenhouse, and plans to grow vegetables for it’s lunch program - very cool!

After our presentation and before our trip back down to Skidigate, we took a drive to Old Masset, which is on both the very edge of the inlet and the north shore of Moresby Island. It was a strange experience to see so much poverty here so close to home, although it was promising to see some new buildings and a renewing respect for local customs and traditions beginning to emerge.

A main point of contention is the proposed installment of wind mills off the North shore - many are against this idea as it will ruin the natural scenery that the economy depends on for tourism. There are also protests here against Enbridge Oil, which plans to start drilling off the coast, and the First Nations are in particular opposed to this idea. We have been learning the local issues as we go, and have focused on teaching the students about the science behind climate change and the amazing new technology that they could be working on in the future to get us off fossil fuels!

Our theme of posing on one foot for pictures begins at Balance Rock near Skidigate :D

One of the surprising benefits of this trip has come from traveling with my fellow presenters, and realizing how differently our brains work to interpret ideas and challenges. Coming from a more artistic background, it is strange how the same topic can appear so differently to the mathematic or engineering mind. This has caused me to remember that not every student is the same, and reminded me that when you’re speaking to one class, they are not all processing the information the same way - some are thinking very visually, and others very analytically. The key to this global issue is to make sure that everyone can have a solid understanding of why the climate is changing, and how they can help to stabilize it, and we can make this happens by reading how our audience is processing the information we present as we go. The demos help to do both for sure!

Well, it’s time to board the ferry and head back to Prince Rupert. We arrive in at 7am, and present at 840am at Charles Hays Secondary. Then, sadly, we send Kate on her way back down the Inside Passage on the ferry, and Jeremy and I will continue on the Prince George to meet our next crew member at the airport. Kate will be joining another ACER group for a presenting at the Living Oceans day in Sointula on Malcolm Island, and then taking another group out to Ucluelet - busy lady!

Thanks to all our amazing ACER’s who continue to use their knowledge and wonderful personalities to engage students on this important issue of climate change!