Cape Dorset high school students head back to class

Cape Dorset’s volunteer firefighters assess the damage of a fire that burned through the early morning of Sept. 6, destroying the community’s high school. (PHOTO BY JOHN CORKETT)

Secondary students in Cape Dorset should be back to school in makeshift classrooms by Sept. 16, says Nunavut’s education department, following a major fire that levelled Peter Pitseolak High School.

Three youth in the Baffin community have been charged with arson, after a late-night fire leveled the Cape Dorset school, which had about 170 students.

In the short-term, classes will be relocated to the community’s Sam Pudlat elementary school, with split shifts, hosting elementary students in the morning and high school students in the afternoon.

Education Minister Paul Quassa and officials from his department arrived in Cape Dorset Sept. 9 to meet with families and tour the community in search of a more permanent home for the high school to use until a new school can be built.

Officials at the hamlet office say the community hall, sewing centre and youth centre all offer some space that could be easily converted into classroom space.

A town hall meeting hosted Sept. 9 by Quassa and his staff drew close to 100 residents who are still coping with the loss of a vital piece of their community.

“On one hand, we think ‘Thank God, there was no loss of life,’” said the hamlet’s senior administrative officer Ed Devereaux. “But there’s still a lot of emotion.”

It was clear from the community meeting that parents aren’t happy with the idea of using temporary classrooms in different locations, Devereaux said, but they’re willing to do what has to be done to get students back into a routine.

“[Education department officials] are trying to find appropriate spaces,” he said. “But it’s going to be a long process. As a hamlet, we’re trying to provide whatever is needed.”

The remnants of the fire have finally stopped smouldering, but the heaps of charred metal that remain are a harsh reminder of the community’s loss.

Although the newly-renovated school was completely destroyed, Devereaux credited the hamlet’s small, volunteer fire department for its strong response despite working with limited fire-fighting resources.

The fire department’s single fire truck arrived at the scene shortly after midnight Sept. 6.

“At any given time, there were between 16 to 20 volunteers fighting the fire,” Devereaux said, noting some of them were just citizens jumping in to help.

While the fire burned through the building over the next several hours, firefighters were able to protect surrounding buildings from the blaze, including Cape Dorset’s health centre.

“This fire got out of control,” Devereaux said. “They did a fantastic job, considering.”

The Nunavut RCMP said Sept. 8 that three Cape Dorset youth, aged 13 to 16, have been charged with arson with damage to property and arson with disregard for human life.

Two of the accused are scheduled to appear in youth court in Cape Dorset Nov. 23, while the third will appear in Iqaluit youth court at a future date.

Sources in the community said the youth used gasoline to start the fire at the school’s front entrance.

Nunavut’s office of the fire marshal says it’s unable to comment on the fire until its joint investigation with the RCMP is complete.