Trek

Some background - (written by a student in 1973)

It's hard to believe that just thirteen years ago in 1961 Mr. Bruce Haig started out in a traditional classroom, where kids sit in neat rows, are given assignments and detentions when they don't follow the instructions.

After seven years of playing this game, Mr. Haig decided he didn't like the rules, so he decided a change of scenery was necessary. Either good fortune or fate brought him to Hamilton Junior High. Here he began to teach Language Arts in which the students were given the freedom to pick their own projects according to their interests.

Mr. Haig, finding the kids quite interested in this type of class, decided to expand it. He brought his own camera and photographic equipment to school for the students' use. This also worked out well. Because the equipment in a way belonged to the students, there was very little damage or theft. It was the relaxed atmosphere and the freedom which had changed the attitude.

This project was going along so well that the students' council bought Mr. Haig a camera to use in place of his own. Says Mr. Haig, "Our world is becoming more and more visual-oriented, yet our schools continue to depend largely on print. It was only natural that students would react positively to creating with film."

By 1971, with the aid of the new principal, Mr. Ken Smith, and a counselor, Mrs. Daw, Mr. Haig was able to get the approval of the school board and a grant of $3000.00 for equipment.

The students began doing projects on such subjects as pollution, war and inflation. The students even made up crazy trophies for the best projects. Those students who could not think of projects went to Mr. Haig for suggestions. One of Mr. Haig's own interests is history; therefore he was happy to suggest a history project for anyone showing interest. The students went on field trips to garbage pits at old N.W.M.P. posts and found parts of old uniforms, buttons, shells and bottles of little worth but of great interest. Enthusiasm reached the point where a decision was made to try and retrace the trek of the North West Mounted Police from Dufferin, Manitoba to Fort MacLeod. So, as well as his regular audio-visual course, Mr. Haig also took charge of a course called "Trek".

The "Trek" course involved twenty students, all with the intention of making the trip. In order to make it as much like times past, a system of rank and privilege was developed. In this system the students strived to gain hours and progress up the ranks. By the time the trek was to begin, three students had reached the rank of officer and therefore took more part in decision making as well as having more privileges. for our 1973 Trek the ranks reached (lowest to highest) were as follows:

Sub Constables - Kevin House & Paul Knight

Acting Constable - Duane Lendrum

Constables - Allan Niilo and Garry Kaskiw

Staff Constables - Karen Parker, Janice Tilley, Stephen Michie & Danny Rickaby

Chief Constable - Dixie Bambrick

Inspectors - Betty Hobbs & Bruce Bevan

Assistant Commissioner - John Hoyt

Each adult also had a role to play:

Illustrator taking the part of Henri Julien - Mr. Corne Martin

Quartermaster - Nunham Stanford

Surgeon - Mrs. Donna "Doc" Coulter

Commissioner - Mr. Bruce Haig

The original trek was financed by the students themselves, through car washes, bottle drives, flea markets, selling haste notes and "Buffalo Chips," (a Buffalo Chip is a souvenir button designed by the students, and sold as a momento of the 100 th anniversary of the R.C.M.P.) and researching the lives of the original men for biographies' These were also some of the ways that the students earned hours.

Mr. Haig's room has changed with new people and conditions. Desks gradually were replaced with tables and chairs. The chairs squeaked so they were removed and a multi-colored rug was sewn together from collected scraps. The sounds in the room echoed so egg cartons were put on the walls and ceiling. Who knows, in two more years the room may again be completely different.

The room is open from 8:30 until 5:30 and students make good use of it. Some might be using the three movie projectors to make a project and then expand this be adding sound through the quadraphonic system. Others could be putting together a project using some of the 22,000 slides developed and the many projectors found in every corner of the room. Still others may be painting slides for visual effects, making games or designing electronic maps,. From time to time we would put on multi projector slide - quadraphonic sound presentations across the province .

As one of the students who was fortunate enough to have participated in this project and to have seen it grow in such a short time, I feel it has been a most valuable experience.

Karen Parker

Staff Constable TREK 73

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