Students from two Peterborough high schools march on MPP’s office over proposed class size increases

Close to 150 students from two city high schools weren’t in class Thursday afternoon. Instead, they marched on the Water Street office of local MPP Dave Smith to protest the Ford government’s plan to increase class sizes in the fall.

Thomas A. Stewart School’s student council president Hayden Henderson organized the walkout on behalf of his mates.

“Education cuts never heal. Every student that I talk to feels that they learn better in a smaller class environment,” Henderson told journalists after the rally. “When you do the math, it’s 5,800 teachers across the province that could be potentially losing their jobs.

“Teachers are our role models. They’re our friends. They help us through life and with all of our problems. They don’t deserve to lose their jobs and we don’t deserve to have smaller class sizes.”

“We are unstoppable, another world is possible,” the assembly chanted.

Grade 12 student Jaidan Charters spearheaded the march for fellow students at Adam Scott Collegiate.

“The many examples, just in our own classroom at Adam Scott, that have 28-31 students — they’re over-packed so teachers can’t properly teach students that need help and they can’t be completely aware of what’s happening.”