It’s below -30 C, but four Inuvik teens at East Three Secondary School, along with their instructors, are helping get wood chopped and piled up in one of two yellow sleds.

As the temperature continues to dip, it’s especially important to get wood to elders in town.

“There’s a definite need here. It’s cold outside now,” said Matthew Miller, vice principal and on-the land-coordinator for the school.

“When we show up to some of these houses, we realize that they don’t have any wood at their houses to keep them warm,” he said. “I think this is a good way to keep the holiday cheer going.”

A bright smile was on 72-year-old Annie Banksland’s face when she realized wood was being delivered. 

“How nice” and “Merry Christmas” she exclaimed as she quickly came out to see the wood being taken off of the sled.

This is the sixth year the school has brought logs out to elders.

Miller said it’s made possible thanks to funding the school gets from the NWT On The Land Collaborative, which brings various partners together to make it easier for communities to access resources for on-the-land programming.

“This year we realized elders couldn’t split the wood that we had [collected], so we bought a splitter this year,” Miller said.

The wood splitter alone cost about $2,000, Miller said, so the collaborative is needed to do these types of programs and allow the school to keep giving back. The on-the-land collaborative also “pays for our gas, our snowmobiles,” he said. 

The collaborative allows the school to give students a different type of education, he added. 

“We try to teach citizenship at the school,” Millersaid

“We know that students thrive in different types of environments. Not everybody fits into the brick and mortar school,” he said. “I know that for some they don’t have anyone else that brings them on the land … so we’re just trying to fill that void.”

For 16-year-old Michael Cardinal, this is the second year he’s partaken in this program. He doesn’t mind being out in the cold and doing his part in giving back to the community.

“It’s enjoyable,” Cardinal said. “It makes me feel better.”

Miller said they have a list of about nine elders to give wood to, but plan to “give out as much as we can.”

“I think of my own grandmother and how she would be proud of me … so I like to pass that along,” Miller said. “Seeing people like Michael happy out there … it’s a community thing.”

Miller encourages anyone who needs wood to contact the school so they can continue to give back one log at a time.

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