Page 8 - Eureka 2012

“Still sitting in the Sudbury airport. Trying to get to Timmins

and on to a plane to Attawapiskat…”

First-person account

So reads Beth McLarty Halfkenny’s Facebook status on Tuesday, January 24, 2012.
Had 42 Grade 2 kids in the morning
Halfkenny, Carleton’s Department of Earth Sciences Outreach Co-ordinator, was
with five activity stations and lots
invited by the Aboriginal Education Manager at Prospectors and Developers
of crazy fun! They loved the product
Association of Canada (PDAC) Mining Matters to join her and two other educators Thursday evening:
traveling to Attawapiskat, a First Nations community located on the northwestern matching puzzles: match the everyday
shore of James Bay, to deliver a series of hands-on workshops on rocks, minerals object with the minerals that help to
and mining to students and teachers, as well as to make a presentation to the make it. Testing properties of minerals
wider community. DeBeers, which operates the Victor Diamond Mine 90 km to and rocks with sandpaper and water
the west of the community, sponsored the trip. What follows is excerpted from – does it float or does it sink? Pulling
Halfkenny’s Facebook entries and daily journal. hidden paperclips out of sand with
magnets, separating different-sized
materials with sieves. Had the Grade 1
class I missed yesterday morning this
Tuesday morning: and was trying to get to Moosonee. Had afternoon. Great kids. Enthusiastic
Was supposed to be there yesterday a great chat. I’m scheduled to take a 14- teachers. With each class in a different
afternoon. Looks like I won’t get seat turbo-prop at 10:50 am tomorrow. portable moving stuff is challenging,
there until tomorrow. Freezing rain Almost there! Sent a text to the others but had some Grade 2 boys helping
in Sudbury delayed our flight out of to go outside and look for the Northern today – really sweet! Held a two-hour
Ottawa yesterday. When we finally took Lights for me. There were sunspots elementary-school teacher workshop
off, we only got as far as North Bay. on the weekend and tonight there is in the Community Centre afterwards.
After several hours there, the airline supposed to be the most activity. Wish I Teachers seemed to be engaged,
put us in a cab to Sudbury. Missed my was there. Asked them to take photos! especially with some of the activities
connection. The others in the group from the kits we have brought for them.
were coming from Toronto and seemed Wednesday mid-morning: Gave them lots of materials and lesson
to have found the only weather window I’m in the plane! plans and ideas. Tired but happy! Grade
and got into Attawapiskat as scheduled. 3 kids tomorrow and secondary school
I hope I’m not going to miss the Grade 1 Wednesday evening, late: teacher workshop afterwards. Only have
classes tomorrow. Arrived in Attawapiskat finally at 1:30 Internet in the motel, and so trying to
this afternoon! I had a crazy grin on keep family updated when I get to bed
Tuesday afternoon: my face the whole trip! Immediately at the end of the day!
Sat on the Sudbury tarmac for a while taken into the afternoon Grade 1 class.
this morning. Sunny day here now, It was the first time looking in the bins Friday evening:
apparently not in Timmins. Have I’d brought. No prep time. We had fun One of our team members is very sick.
missed my connection north again. They though with the blow-up Earth ball, Apparently the flu is going around
now want to fly us to Kapuskasing and sandpaper and rocks! Community town! She had to stay in bed so we
send us by cab back south to Timmins. supper tonight. There were lots of went with the flow today. She was
If we can land that is. And if not, back tables with a variety of activities and scheduled to lead the secondary school
to Sudbury. Sounds like a bad idea. Am lots of folks waiting for dinner – teacher workshop this afternoon so we
now going to take the four-hour bus chicken and spaghetti. Set myself up scrambled to put something together.
ride this evening to Timmins and get on with the mineral identification stuff I ran over when I was finished in the
the flight to Attawapiskat tomorrow. and played with streak plates, magnets elementary school in the afternoon.
and conductivity testers. Kids were We were told not to expect many kids
Tuesday night, late: intrigued: nothing like a noisemaker to this morning as there is a wedding
I am now in a little motel in Timmins! get their attention! Kids brought their happening tonight. I had two Grade 3
The bus had plugs to charge my phone moms over to show them what they had classes today; morning one only had
and iPad. Sat with a woman on the bus been doing. Very cool! eight kids. A lovely teacher who had
who works for the local school district

8 fall 2012