Students across Hamilton take part in Climate Day of Action

Teens from more than a dozen schools in Hamilton took their concerns to the streets on Thursday to raise their voices and concerns about the effects of climate change.

This was the first official “Climate Day of Action” for the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board, where students marched out of their classrooms to raise awareness about the climate emergency.

There were 13 schools in the Hamilton-Wentworth district that joined the walk out with the student-led initiative being approved by the board.

For many of the high schoolers, this summers’ wildfires were a wake up call.

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Saltfleet Student Parliament Prime Minister Olivia Rusic said the fires had a drastic impact on the environment.

“Crops were dying, trees were dying, we weren’t able to get clean enough oxygen so everyone was basically just breathing in smog,” Rusic said.

The students stressed the urgency of the issue, referring to the health impacts they’re experiencing.

At Saltfleet Secondary School, students painted signs before the rally with the activities of the day planned by each school’s eco team.

The public board has made strides in sustainability, which is now one of the board’s five pillars, but teachers say there’s always room for improvement.

“Education can only go so far in what we do in the confines of budgets and finances,” Saltfleet teacher and eco club co-lead, Theresa Price said.

“The board itself is moving in that direction and that’s all we can ask. We leave the past in the past and we are going to move forward and as a board we are going to build that awareness and sustainability together.”

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Westmount Secondary School also participated in the day’s climate action. Students left their classrooms and chanted rally slogans.

Activist Jordyn Boyer was instrumental in making the climate day of action a reality. One of the organizers described her as Hamilton’s Greta Thunberg. After giving a speech in the cafeteria, she led students around the school.

Boyer said Hamilton schools could be doing more to engage students in initiatives that address the environment emergency.

“I think there’s a big misconception that climate change is a hobby or a personality trait,” Boyer said. “We need to be a bit more assertive about getting kids involved.”

She also emphasized the government’s role in addressing the emergency, calling for penalties on the fossil fuel industry.