What started out as an afternoon walkout to show their support for teachers turned into a high-octane Friday afternoon student parade, with not one truant officer in sight.
Hundreds of sign-waving, high school students skipped classes to make their voices heard as part of the province-wide B.C. High School Student Walkout, a Facebook initiative that involved all five Prince George public high schools.
The walkout parade of about 200 students started at 2 p.m. at the downtown library and followed a route to Prince George secondary school. They joined a crowd of about 350 PGSS students standing along Highway 97 waving signs that read "Don't let the B.C. government strip teachers" and "We're against 30+ students in a classroom," to get their message across to passing motorists.
Teachers will begin a three-day walkout starting Monday, and the students wanted teachers to know they've got their backs in their fight with the province.
"We're here to support our teachers - if they fall, we fall, so we need the support from everybody," said Rebecca Ascah, a Grade 12 student at D.P. Todd secondary, who cut her afternoon classes to join her sister Victoria, a Grade 11 student at Duchess Park secondary.
"Teachers do a great job and they deserve to be paid more," said Victoria. "They have more disabled people in classrooms, and teachers need more help. They're not able to give enough time to the kids who have disabilities and it slows down the rest of the learning. The classrooms are so full already, it's hard to get one-on-one attention."
They did get the attention of the school administrators, who advised them to go back to class, but the kids were standing by their principles.
"The principal and vice-principal said we should get back to class, but inside I think everybody's glad for the support and that the students are really taking action," said Victoria.
PGSS Grade 12 student Randy Roy saw Friday's rally as a way to pay back teachers who have helped him over the years by donating free time to organize extracurricular activities that enhance student life. "After everything the teachers have done for me, this is what I should do," said Roy.
"This is my Grade 12 year and this is the worst-case scenario. I have [provincial exams] in a month and I can't go to school [next week]. The teachers are fighting for the best interests of students and I want a better education, so, of course, I'm going to support them."
Students at the more remote city high schools - D.P. Todd, College Heights and Kelly Road - staged their own localized walkouts Friday.
"Teachers do such a good job for us and there aren't enough teacher assistants," said Madison Morey, a Grade 11 D.P. Todd student. "I have a little brother in elementary school who has a mental disability and he's not getting what he needs. I don't want him to not get the education he needs just because the government is screwing us over."
