High school students across the Coast walked out of classes at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 2, in support of teachers and formed a small contingent demonstrating near the Esso gas station in Sechelt.
Meghan Campbell was one of about 20 student protesters from Chatelech Secondary School. She said the group wanted to use the time to highlight some of the common issues important to teachers and students.
"Things like smaller class sizes, more support for special needs and just more support for everybody in the classroom," Meghan said. "The biggest for us is smaller class sizes because then students get more time with teachers for individual support."
She said that morning at Chat, students in grades 8 to 10 were told by school administrators they should stay in class.
"Then the Grade 11s and 12s kind of had their free will and they could choose to go, but the teachers would not be making up time for that," Meghan said. She added, "There was no issue when we walked out."
At Elphinstone Secondary School in Gibsons, what seemed to be half the student population walked out at 2 p.m.
"At least half the school pretty much just walked right out the front doors of the school and just went to wherever they wanted to go," Grade 9 student Connor Lindsay told Coast Reporter. "It was everybody in the whole school, Grade 8s to 12s."
Connor didn't see any students demonstrating or carrying signs in Gibsons and noted some students standing outside the school were ushered back in to class by the principal.
In Pender Harbour, students also walked out, although the principal at the school was not willing to talk about the details with Coast Reporter.
When asked if just the Grade 11 and 12 students were involved, principal Mark Heidebrecht would only say, "it was much broader than that."
The local walkouts were spurred by a walkout and rally planned by five Windermere Secondary School students in the Lower Mainland that was posted on Facebook. More than 12,000 students signed up for the protest on-line, and thousands rallied in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery Friday afternoon.
