We have many wonderful teachers and educators here on the Sunshine Coast — teachers who give their best every day to ensure that our children receive the best opportunities possible.
But in rare cases, a teacher makes a lasting mark on the curriculum or study that merits provincial recognition. One such teacher is Jay Walls from Pender Harbour Secondary School.
Walls has dedicated himself to bringing the public’s attention to the plight of the Sakinaw salmon, considered an endangered species. Instead of just teaching his students about the salmon, he created a locally grown curriculum that connected his students to their environment, community and political system. And his students embraced the program hook, line and sinker.
The Plight of the Sakinaw Salmon course started with a genuine concern for the fate of the species, but it has grown into so much more. Students engaged in political matters, lobbying for their Department of Fisheries office in Pender Harbour when it was faced last year with a shutdown. They wrote letters and lobbied area member of Parliament John Weston. The office was still shut down, but the students were not deterred. No, they lobbied even harder, writing letters to Weston asking him who would help the Sakinaw survive if DFO officers weren’t on the job.
They also took their concerns to MLA Nicholas Simons, who recently hosted the students, Walls and parents in the legislature in Victoria. Simons praised the students for the initiative, for their leadership and for being ambassadors for the Sunshine Coast.
We couldn’t agree more. To see these students in action is so positive, there really are no words to describe how cool this is.
And the school board also agrees. At the Nov. 18 board meeting, trustees praised Walls and the students for their efforts. And last year, Walls’ program was recognized by the David Suzuki Foundation for its environmental advocacy and Walls received a national science teaching award.
We trust our teachers to help teach our children what is wrong and right in our society, to help them be engaged in the world around them, to get them started on the right path to ensure that they can, one day, be leaders in our society.
Take a well-deserved bow, Jay Walls. What you have taught and continue to teach your students is remarkable. And hats off to the students, as well, for embracing this education. You are truly making a difference in our community and our society. And that’s a wonderful lesson for us all to learn.
