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VIDEO: Vaughan School Extracurriculars Get The Axe

Posted By: Dave Bradley · 9/13/2012 5:06:00 PM

It sounds like it will be a sports free year for some students at Stephen Lewis Secondary School in Vaughan.

Notices went up this morning telling students, sports like volleyball, cricket, golf and junior girls basketball will be cancelled this year.

Students outside the school claim all sports will be shelved, at least through the fall period, with some students thinking even Prom could be affected.

Anthony, a Grade 11 student had just made the senior soccer team and went to school on Thursday expecting to have a 3 p.m. practice. Instead he went to class and found out the season had been cancelled.

"We were devastated because we actually had a really good team," he says. "I'm just amazed. I have no idea...words...nothing."

Nicholas Disapatino, a Grade 12 student, plays rugby and wrestles. He was planning on adding shot put to his sporting calendar in his final year. He's disappointed, but not upset at teachers.

"They did what they felt was right," he says.

Other students from nearby Woodbridge College claim that all fall sports at their school have also been slashed.

"I think it's bogus. I think it's garbage," says Haider Khan, a Grade 12 football player at Woodbridge College. "We've got kids working hard and training hard day in and day out. Now they get put down with this stuff. I don't think it's fair."

He's worried that his shot at post-secondary football might now be in jeopardy with the season lost.

The action comes days after the McGuinty government passed legislation at Queen's Park  imposing new contracts on teachers, contracts that include a 2 year wage freeze.

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  1. M. Shapiro posted on 09/13/2012 01:21 PM
    What I want to know is why Stephen Lewis merits a school named for him. Like Jack Layton, his greaterst contribution to Canada was losing elections.
    1. KDog posted on 09/13/2012 02:34 PM
      @M. Shapiro Bigger question is why are there TWO schools (1 in mississauga & 1 in York) named after him?
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  2. Tony Guy posted on 09/13/2012 02:01 PM
    If the extra curriculum activity is required to meet student needs why haven't the boards built the requirement into the contract? Teachers are vey well compensated this administration of clubs and sports should be a requirement not a voluntary activity.
  3. proton posted on 09/13/2012 02:32 PM
    This is a great test of devoted teachers. Those whom are truly devoted to teaching and their students won't pander to the union and will continue their extracurricular programs. Those who won't work with the kids are the bad teachers that the system doesn't need.

    Unfortunately some good teachers will be forced to cancel activities because they require cooperation from other teachers OR there'll be subtle threats.

    The truly good teachers wouldn't do this. They're the ones who deserve to be paid more.
  4. me posted on 09/13/2012 03:39 PM
    I have never seen a more spoiled bunch. Teachers already get paid for the summer break, the winter break and still see the need to get paid for PD days during the school year.

    It is clear that these people do not really care about the kids, it’s about getting paid more and doing less.

    The parents should band together and ensure their kids are able to keep their clubs, after hour’s program and prom. The parents should volunteer their time.
    1. jackson posted on 09/15/2012 05:43 PM
      @me just so you know. teachers are not paid for their summer or any other "break". Vacation and holidays are not paid for.
    2. jackson posted on 09/15/2012 05:46 PM
      @me btw.... it would be great if more caregivers would volunteer their time to help out with extra-curricular activities. but the real conversation here should be: how do we get the democratic rights of Canadian citizens back???
  5. Barrie Resident posted on 09/13/2012 03:53 PM
    Heard from my son who just walked in the door that sports are cancelled at his school as well. Hewitts Creek PS in Barrie, ON. Really glad that the teachers are doing this for our kids??!!
  6. Richard Collins posted on 09/13/2012 04:10 PM
    And of course, the spoiled brats we have teaching our children will turn around when we ask why they've killed extracurriculars for the year, and they'll claim it's for the children's benefit. These union thugs sicken me.

    http://www.tinyurl.com/we-can-advance
  7. MichaelB_2952 posted on 09/13/2012 04:26 PM
    A teacher commented on the John Tory show that he loves coaching. However, he won't do it this year because he only gets ten sick days. If he gets injured while coaching, any day he is off the job after ten day, he only gets 66% pay on short-term disability. His sick days that he accumulated from years ago are gone. Coaching is too high risk.
    1. Richard Collins posted on 09/13/2012 04:36 PM
      @MichaelB_2952 How, exactly, does a grown man get injured while coaching students?
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  8. priya posted on 09/13/2012 04:36 PM
    tomorrow #SLSSPROTEST outside at lunch we are trying to get the WORD OUT and hopefully all of you guys will participate WEAR SLSS SHIRTS
  9. MichaelB_2952 posted on 09/13/2012 06:25 PM
    While one of the teachers who phoned-in to the John Tory show may have sounded callous when he mentioned that he didn't care what the public thought, I do think he is right. A teacher's job is to teach the curriculum to the students. It is not to make the public happy. It's not going to make a difference if 99% of the public is behind the teachers if McGuinty and Broten won't negotiate a fair contact with the teachers. I don't think that teacher cares about trying to persuade the teacher-haters to sympathize with him. That teacher has a job to do. People may not like him for being so blunt. That teacher may be very caring to his students in the classroom and in the hallways. I think he doesn't care about getting the teacher-haters to like him.
    1. from Vaughan posted on 09/13/2012 06:44 PM
      @MichaelB_2952 My father was a teacher. This has nothing to do with the kids in the class room this has to do with people wanting to continue to live beyond what we can afford.

      Stephen Lewis Secondary school has one of the worst school spirits around. I do not believe that any teacher who sounds as callous as he sounded on the radio can be "be very caring to his students in the classroom and in the hallways"

      This person sounds more like a bully and a thug than like a person anyone should be entrusting their children to.
  10. proton posted on 09/14/2012 09:37 AM
    Volunteering is an integral part of teaching. Teachers saying otherwise are like people moving to an airport neighbourhood then complaining about the planes.

    Make a list of ALL the teachers that refuse volunteer work and publish that list. Ask the students about those teachers and I'll guarantee the majority are considered lousy teachers that don't go the extra mile for their students. There are lots of new teachers looking for jobs. Get rid of the lousy ones and improve education.
  11. Bill R posted on 09/14/2012 10:32 AM
    No sports. Boohoo. Maybe if the students spent their time studying more they'd be better prepared for their future in the job market such as it is. Their football "career" will never happen. There's golf now as part of "sports"? Teachers aren't the only ones who are spoiled.
  12. proton posted on 09/14/2012 10:45 AM
    @Bill R team sports should be part of the curriculum. Kids have tremendous energy and physical activities are really important for development, habits in later life, and keeping them out of trouble.

    We used to have time for sports and a good education in the school day. Now there seems to be no time for sports and the quality of public education has become dismal.

    Kids failed grades, kids lost marks for handing work in late. Today it's not politically correct to do that. Guess what we end up with..... a whole class of civil servants and unionized labour with a poor work ethic. They've learnt there are no consequences for not studying, not putting in the work. It follows them into their adult life and they find jobs where they're protected for being unproductive.

    What's truly sad is these kids are getting screwed by a terrible system. Adults who should know better are motivated to maintain this status quo.

    School ethics create work ethics create a less than stellar productivity sector.
    1. MichaelP posted on 09/14/2012 04:50 PM
      @proton Not sure I have ever seen so many incorrect things in one post. Congratulations Proton.
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  13. jackson posted on 09/15/2012 05:37 PM
    Let's hope these kids cheer up when they realize that teachers are making a statement in protest against legislating away the collectively bargained rights of thousands (i.e. working conditions, 5 day work week, child labour laws, minimum wage, etc.) These are rights they take for granted because they have always had them. If these kids have trained so hard and want to play so badly, perhaps they should go and join a league. It is a shame that teachers have removed these EXTRA services, but when your democratic rights, the very rights ensured by the United Nations, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and Labour Law its hard to want to coach volleyball. This has nothing to do with money, it has to do with basic freedoms.
    1. MichaelP posted on 09/15/2012 09:53 PM
      @jackson this has everything to do with grown adults who should know better. To even attempt to use "the United Nations" protects these rights is laughable. You had a year to negotiate a deal. Other teacher unions took that time to get a deal done. Yours did not and knew what would happen by refusing to negotiate. By pulling away from coaching and things of that sort all you're doing is punishing the people you claim to protecting. It's pig headed behaviour, and the beauty of it is that it does you no good on the long run. All you're doing it pissing off parents and making it more likely that Hudak wins the next time out. And I'm betting you'll be less happy with him in charge. It's a foolish decision.
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