In the past week, I have found myself amazed by the student body of Kelly Road Secondary.
Just hours after the name change proposal was announced, Kelly Road students had created petitions, planned walkouts, and organized protests. Every day this week, we have been having passionate discussions about the new name, what Kelly Road means to us, our rights as students to have an opinion, and the protocols of the district.
My peers and I are outraged by the idea of a name change, and I would like to explain why.
One student gave me a quote that I find covers the thoughts of Kelly Road students elegantly: "In my opinion it wouldn't matter if the name was French, Dutch, or any other language. We are getting hate for standing up for our school, we have nothing against Aboriginal peoples at all. Our school is Kelly Road and has always been Kelly Road for over 65 years, we don't have much on the Hart for people to do or schools to attend, and Kelly Road has been celebrated through generations."
Everything she says is a beautiful depiction of the arguments we are making at Kelly Road, however, there is so much more to it. We are not just complaining over our desks in class, we are having meaningful discussions about other ways we could step towards reconciliation in the new building.
She gracefully explained one of these such ideas: "We should compromise. It was brought to my attention that we should have a park put on our school property named Shas Ti Park and I think that's an amazing idea. We should also expand our Aboriginal programs in the new school with all the new space. Our voice should be heard, and we should not get hate for standing up for our Hart community."
This is not the only idea that is being discussed, however, as thoughts on more in-depth education regarding First Nations culture prior to the European arrival in Canada are being mentioned and explored by the student body. Ideas of language classes for Native tongues or more time spent telling the stories of places like the Grizzly Trail (Shas Ti) are being mentioned as alternatives to a name forced upon the students of Kelly Road.
As she mentioned, we can compromise.
Had the students been consulted prior to the announcement of the suggested new name rather than after, some of these beautiful ideas might have been taken into consideration and the community may have had input.
However, even as the new name and its meaning does hold weight among the widely-accepting Kelly Road students, it is hardly what we are upset about.
An Aboriginal student attending KRSS excellently explained; "It's been my family's school for generations. We're just too proud of what the name means to us to see it go. If it were changed to anything else we would still be upset. It's always been Kelly Road to us, and it always will be. I'm proud of the community we have."
Our protest has nothing to do with the new name and everything to do with the old one. Kelly Road is where we attend class, experience enriching extracurriculars, make friends and partake in all the drama. It is where the boys park their jacked-up trucks on the snow banks in winter, where the Grade 8s make noisy chaos in the hallways, and in the end it is where we will stand arm-in-arm for something we believe in - the Kelly Road legacy.
This is the first time in my life that I have felt so strongly about something that I felt the need to get the word out to the community, however, as the first in my family to attend this school, it is my only wish to be the first of many to graduate from Kelly Road under the name that I have connected myself to for my most formative years. For this reason, I will gladly make this the first time I truly exercise my rights to speak up and be heard.
We are unified as Roadrunners, proud and true. We will defend our home and fight for the name we will wear proudly for years to come. We will not be silenced and we will be heard.
Elizabeth Ann Byron
Prince George
