High school students frustrated over the loss of their extracurricular activities and after-hours tutoring took out their frustration in the form of a protest Tuesday afternoon.
Just minutes after dozens of teachers from the Windsor-Essex Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario wrapped up their picketing and packed up their placards in front of Minister of Finance Dwight Duncan’s Lauzon Parkway office, about a dozen students from General Amherst and Harrow high schools arrived to take their place.
The Windsor-Tecumseh MPP’s office and the local offices of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation sit side by side in the same strip mall.
“With the Bill 115 and the sanctions that they have put on teachers and they can’t participate in extracurriculars we’ve all been distraught over it,” said organizer Alex Leroux, 17, a Grade 12 student at General Amherst high school.
Leroux and her friend Christine Belcher decided to organize the protest on their common spare period and sent word out through texting and Facebook to schools throughout Windsor-Essex.
“Everyone is so upset,” said Leroux, who is missing out on basketball, volleyball, soccer and badminton.
“We want it to be a positive protest just to get our extracurriculars back because we know it’s not the teachers fault and the government is putting restrictions on the union, we understand all of it, we want to get some of the things back that we look forward to throughout the school year.”
Students held up signs with individual words on each spelling out “Honk if you support us” as well as two signs that said “Extra” and “Curricular” with various school activities written around the border.
Many motorists did honk their horns.
Shelby Hedges, 16, a Harrow high school Grade 11 student, said many students are concerned about the lack of extra help for students.
“A lot of people are missing their reference letters and chances to get into university, so it’s really affecting us, especially coming from a small school,” said Hedges.
“Now that affects us even greater.”
Hedges, who also normally plays basketball, volleyball, soccer and competes in track and field, said the lack of after-school sports has left a void.
“After school you usually go to practice for two hours, some nights you’re at school til six o’clock but now there’s nothing to do, you just go home and do nothing,” said Hedges.
“They’re taking away a lot of our high school culture.”
Jeff Brosseau, local president of the OSSTF, came out of his office to observe the protest and invited the students inside to warm up and chat afterward.
“I absolutely understand their frustration but the position we are in with Bill 115 and the inability to collectively bargain makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to get a deal that’s acceptable to the members or the Ministry of Education within their parameters,” said Brosseau.
“I don’t blame them for their frustration. I’d be frustrated too if I was in their position. I hope that the direction of the frustration is sent to the right place, to the members of provincial parliament.”
A group of students protest Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012, in front of the OSSTF office on Lauzon Parkway in Windsor, Ont. They say they are pawns in the teacher’s labour dispute. (DAN JANISSE/The Windsor Star)
Cassy Major, a student from Amherst Secondary School protests Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012, in front of the OSSTF office on Lauzon Parkway in Windsor, Ont. Students say they are pawns in the teacher’s labour dispute. (DAN JANISSE/The Windsor Star)
