Ontario Gymnastics Championships in Amherstburg... pg. 15
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
(RTT PHOTOS BY SHEILA MCBRAYNE) Hundreds of General Amherst High School students from grades 9 to 12 chanted “Please say no. Please say no” during a provincewide walkout held on Thursday, April 4 to protest the Ontario Government’s proposed cuts to education.
General Amherst students walk out to protest education cuts By Sheila McBrayne
Hundreds of General Amherst High School students walked out of class on Thursday, April 4 to protest the Ontario government cuts to education. The local walkout was part of a province-wide demonstration at approximately 700 secondary schools, all coordinated to walk out at 1:15 p.m. on April 4. Grade 11 Amherst student Lily Monforton was pleasantly surprised by the support she received as an organizer of the walkout where approximately 300 students participated. “I was overwhelmed by the amount of students that participated due to the fact that we are such a small community... In my eyes this was a huge success. I was not prepared for such a large group. I told myself even if it was only 30 students out there, at least people were out there for the right
JOE MELOCHE
cause. I was honestly shocked and so surprised and ecstatic at the amount of students participating in this movement,” stated Monforton. “We want to make it known that these changes are not okay amongst us students; we may not have the right to vote, but we will stand up and speak up for what we believe in,” she stated. Premiere Doug Ford’s proposed changes in education would see and increased number of students (between 28 to 42 students) per classroom, mandatory e-learning/online courses, changes to OSAP funding, Autism support funding cuts, reduced support of the arts, and the loss of an estimated 5,000 teachers over the next five years. The walkout received much support in the form of honking by traffic on Sandwich Street street.
Many students created signs for the April 4th student walkout at General Amherst High School.
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