At least one group of students in the Battlefords found something to do Thursday while teachers at area schools were off the job.
With classes cancelled for the day as teachers attending a study session at the Don Ross Centre, about 20 high school students gathered at John Paul II Collegiate for a student rally in support of the teachers that morning.
The students marched from John Paul II down 100th Street en route to Don Ross Centre, waving placards in support of the teachers in their labour dispute with the province. When they got to Don Ross Centre around 11 a.m., they entered the hall to show their support in person.
Student organizers of the rally said they wanted to show their appreciation for the hard work their teachers do on a daily basis. They were inspired by a couple of friends at John Paul II Collegiate who had first-hand knowledge of the situation.
"Their dad is a teacher here at the school, and they know how hard it is," said Heather Leitner, a Grade 11 student at JP II.
She noted teachers were struggling to keep up with the costs of living, such as the rising price of gas. Teachers are seeking a 12 per cent increase over their current contract.
"They know the teachers are not being selfish; they really do need the increase in pay," said Leitner.
"We don't want them to have to keep going on strike to get the things they need."
Another student organizer from JP II, Larissa Chipak, said another reason for the rally was to counter some of the negative comments the students had heard around the school about the teachers.
"At school we heard a lot of bad stuff about the teachers and the strike," said Chipak, referring to comments heard about teachers being "greedy".
"People need to know that this isn't for them and that this is to attract better teachers," Chipak said. "They need to be appreciated and they put in so much time."
Leitner said that just the previous evening the teachers helped put the students put on a talent show.
Most of the students at the rally were from John Paul II, while about a half-dozen were from North Battleford Comprehensive High School. Leitner said she put out a mass text-message about the rally, and there was also a posting on Facebook to alert students to what was going on.
The students were happy with the turnout, but admitted many students just saw it as a day off school.
Some students who were told about the morning rally at the high school responded they wouldn't be going, as "many were saying it's really early for them and (they) want to sleep in," Chipak said.
Whether students will get more opportunities to catch up on their sleep remains to be seen, as the labour dispute between the province and the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation continues without a resolution. However, the study sessions were intended to be a one-day-only affair. Teachers returned to work Friday, and it is back to business as usual, for the time being. Chipak told reporters she hoped the Thursday work stoppage would be the extent of it.
The study session held by the teachers at Don Ross Centre, which was closed to the media, was one of many held across the province in different communities, as teachers withdrew their professional and voluntary services for the day. The union described it as an attempt to facilitate a return to the bargaining table. Teachers also rallied in front of the provincial legislature in Regina Thursday morning to draw attention to their dispute.
Andrew Sneddon, president of the Tri-West Teachers Association union, said their members from the Living Sky, Light of Christ and Battlefords First Nations Board of Education school divisions were all off the job Thursday and at the study session at Don Ross Centre.
"We spent the day going over topics of importance to teachers," said Sneddon, "making sure all of our members had a clear understanding of our bargaining process, and where we are in our process and where we may be going in the future."
Sneddon also said the teachers gathered at Don Ross Centre were "extremely fortified" by the support of the students who rallied and came into their study session.
He said the main concern is the current offer from the government's bargaining team continues to differ from that offered by the teachers' bargaining team. Media reports have pegged the government's offer at a 5.5 per cent increase in salary, well short of what the teachers are asking for.
Sneddon said there continues to be a desire by the teachers to return to the bargaining table, and added that teachers in the Battlefords continue to be committed to the bargaining process.
