Hundreds of Toronto students walk out of class after beloved principal shuffled by board
Hundreds of students at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts have walked out of class in support of their beloved principal, who is being transferred to another school.
On Thursday., June, 12 students at the high school located at 711 Bloor St. E. walked out of class to protest the transfer of the school's long-serving principal, Barrie Sketchley.
On Monday, the Toronto District School Board sent a letter home to students that, along with a series of principal and vice-principal promotions and transfers, Sketchley would not be moving schools for the following school year.
'Principal Barrie Sketchley will transfer to Principal at Harbor C.I., where he will be an outstanding addition to the school following the departure of their Principal,' the letter reads.
Sketchley founded the Rosedale school 33 years ago. A letter from parents opposing the move said he built the school into one of Toronto's most inclusive and creative high schools.
Story continues below advertisement
Sketchley, 82, is one of the longest-serving principals at the school board, the letter says.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
'After so many years at RHSA, Barrie Sketchley should be able to retire from Rosedale, not some other school that he might lead for just a year or two,' said Katrina Matheson, chair of the school's advisory council.
The parents claim a policy which allows parents to participate in the decision of principal transfers was not followed.
Matheson said that the students are devastated by the news, adding it will also impact the students at the school he is being transferred to when Sketchley retires two years after the move.
The devastation was made clear on Thursday when the students spoke out against the move during the demonstration, with one describing Sketchley as a fierce supporter of the arts who always shows up for the students.
'Removing him now just before retirement is not only unfair, it's unjust,' the student said as a crowd of hundreds chanted Sketchley's name.
The letter sent from the school board also praised Sketchley for his years of service, saying he is a 'caring, dedicated and exceptional leader who has touched the lives of thousands of students and families over his decades-long principalship at Rosedale Heights.'
The school's advisory council is encouraging parents who are concerned about the transfer to reach out to the Minister of Education Paul Calandra.
Story continues below advertisement
'The ill-timed transfer of Barrie Sketchley against the wishes of parents and students speaks to the existence of larger governance failures within the TDSB. We are counting on Minister Calandra to ensure that educators, parents and students are treated with dignity by the school board,' Matheson said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
Air India's sole survivor recalls crash: ‘I saw people dying in front of my eyes'
The sole survivor of the Air India plane crash that killed more than 240 people spoke out on Friday, saying he couldn't believe he was alive as he recounted seeing others dying near him while he escaped through a broken emergency exit. The airline confirmed in a statement on X that there was a 'sole survivor' from the crash that took place on Thursday just after takeoff from Ahmedabad in India, headed for London's Gatwick airport. UPDATE: Air India confirms that flight AI171, operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on 12 June 2025, was involved in an accident. The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew. The aircraft crashed shortly… — Air India (@airindia) June 12, 2025 Story continues below advertisement Viswash Kumar Ramesh, the survivor, was in seat 11A near the emergency exit, and he said he managed to squeeze through the broken hatch. He was filmed on Thursday limping on the street in a blood-stained shirt with bruises on his face. Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, told Indian state broadcaster DD News that he doesn't 'believe how I survived' while speaking with the outlet from his hospital bed on Friday. 'For some time I thought I was also going to die,' Ramesh, 40, said. 'But when I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive and I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escape from where I could. 'I saw people dying in front of my eyes — the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me.… I walked out of the rubble.' 'When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran,' he told Hindustan Times. 'The side of the plane I was in landed on the ground, and I could see that there was space outside the aircraft, so when my door broke I tried to escape through it and I did,' Ramesh said. 'The opposite side of the aircraft was blocked by the building wall so nobody could have come out of there.' Story continues below advertisement He recalled the moments before the crash, saying that when the flight took off, 'within 5 to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Suddenly, the lights started flickering — green and white — then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there,' he said. Ramesh suffered burns and bruises and has been kept under observation at the hospital, an official at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad said. 'He was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body,' Dr. Dhaval Gameti, who treated Ramesh, told The Associated Press. 'But he seems to be out of danger.' An official added that 'his escape … and without any grievous injury, was nothing short of a miracle. He also realizes that and is a bit shaken by the trauma of it too.' View image in full screen Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah meeting British plane crash survivor Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, at a hospital in Ahmedabad after Air India confirmed he was the sole survivor of the 242 people on board the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Ministry of Home Affairs India via AP Ramesh said he was travelling with his brother Ajay, who was seated in a different row. They were visiting family in India and returning to the U.K. when the crash happened. Story continues below advertisement He called relatives in Leicester after the crash, his cousin, Ajay Valgi, told the BBC. He has a wife and 'little boy' at home. 'He only said that he's fine, nothing else,' Valgi said, adding that the family is 'happy that he's OK, but we're still upset about the other brother.' Another brother of Ramesh, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, told Sky News that Viswash called his father moments after the crash to say he had survived. 'He video-called my dad as he crashed and said, 'Oh the plane's crashed. I don't know where my brother is. I don't see any other passengers. I don't know how I'm alive, how I exited the plane,'' he told the outlet. Nayan said he was supposed to be picking his brothers up from Gatwick Airport on Thursday and the whole family planned to get together for a gathering this weekend. 'I've got no words to describe it,' he said. 'It's a miracle that he survived — but what about the other miracle for my other brother?' He said that his family is 'devastated,' adding, 'I'm scared to fly now — to even sit on a plane.' Story continues below advertisement After the crash, Air India shared a post on X, confirming 'the passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals and 1 Canadian national.' Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off. The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are… — Air India (@airindia) June 12, 2025 Air India CEO Campbell Wilson shared his 'deep sorrow about this event' in a video posted to X after the crash. 'We are actively working with the authorities on all of the emergency response efforts,' Wilson said. 'A special team of caregivers from Air India is on the way to Ahmedabad to provide additional support.' Message from Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO, Air India. — Air India (@airindia) June 12, 2025 Story continues below advertisement Police said some people at the dormitory of a nearby medical school and others on the ground were also killed in the plane crashed into the building. Rescue workers were searching for missing people and aircraft parts in the charred buildings of the hostel on Friday to help find the cause of the crash. Air India has said the investigation will take time. Planemaker Boeing has said a team of experts is ready to go to India to help in the probe. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in his home state of Gujarat to visit the crash site, met Ramesh in hospital on Friday. The cause of the crash, the first for a Boeing Dreamliner wide-body airliner, has not yet been determined and India's aviation minister said a formal investigation had begun. Air India has not commented on what caused the crash. — With files from Reuters and The Associated Press
Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
Lethbridge goats chew through problem weeds for 7th year
Seven years ago, the City of Lethbridge put pen to paper with the GOAT of lawnmowing — actual goats. The animals have spent every summer since then targeting leafy spurge, a noxious weed in Lethbridge River Valley. The city says it took several years to see significant results, but now the project is proving its success. 'Spurge has been decreased by almost 90 per cent in (Indian Battle Park), between here and Botterill (park). So, our night camp is near Botterill and there it's down 98 per cent, there's very little coming up in the area,' said Jackie Cardinal, the parks natural resource coordinator. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy She says leafy spurge is a serious problem that had become overgrown before the goats were enlisted. 'It just kind of takes over everything. It takes up space for the native plants, for the more beneficial vegetation in the river valley,' Cardinal said Story continues below advertisement 'So, if we can get rid of the weeds, we give the native species more real estate to set seed and take off.' To ensure the goats only eat what the city wants, the picky eaters were trained to eat the spurge. 'We hold the goats on that, get them used to the taste. It's kind of like kids with broccoli — if you give it to them enough, eventually they'll eat it,' said Trent Cahoon, a goatherd working on the project. He says it's nice to see the city taking this approach as opposed to one dominated by herbicides. 'Well, I'm loving it. I've got a background in permaculture, so I like all things green,' he said. 'So, if I'm a part of making all things green and helping out the city, it's way better than chemical gunk.' Other parks in the city that are benefitting from the goats are ranging between 25 and 50-per cent decreases in leafy spurge populations, depending on how long the animals have been grazing in each respective area.
Global News
6 hours ago
- Global News
Canadian killed in Air India crash was Ontario-based dentist: family
The Canadian citizen believed to be on an Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff is a dentist who worked in Mississauga, Ont., her family has confirmed. The husband of Nirali Sureshkumar Patel said she was on board the London-bound flight that crashed in northwestern India on Thursday, killing at least 240 people. Patel's dental clinic referred The Canadian Press to the husband, who said that he was in the process of booking travel to India for himself and the couple's one-year-old child. 'That was my wife,' he said during a brief telephone call. 'I am not in a state to speak right now.' He declined to provide his full name and requested privacy for the family. The plane crashed in a residential area of Ahmedabad, a city of more than five million people. It marks India's worst aviation disaster in decades. Story continues below advertisement 2:00 Air India crash: Experts weigh in on deadly disaster Among the dead were at least five students staying at a medical college hostel where the plane crashed. A local hospital said it had received 186 bodies. At least one person survived the crash, according to a doctor at the hospital. The doctor identified the survivor as Vishwashkumar Ramesh and said he had multiple injuries all over his body but seems to be out of danger. News channels in India aired video that appeared to show Ramesh covered in blood and walking away from the crash site, with people running behind him. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was 'devastated' to learn of the crash and was receiving regular updates on the situation, confirming one Canadian was on the flight. The prime minister added that Canadian transport officials are in close contact with their international counterparts. Story continues below advertisement Patel, the Canadian dentist, graduated from a dental college in India before moving to Canada, according to a biography posted on the website of her clinic, the Heritage Dental Centre. She was a hardworking person who believed in giving back to the community and volunteered at a free dental camp every year, the page reads. 2:06 Air India crash: Sole survivor tells brother 'I don't know how I'm alive' 'The feeling that my work has made a difference in someone's life brightens my day,' Patel is quoted as saying about why she became a dentist. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he was 'saddened' to learn that a Canadian was involved in the plane crash, and offered condolences to the families of all victims. 'We are keeping you in our thoughts during this difficult time,' he said in a social media post. Story continues below advertisement Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the crash 'heartbreaking beyond words.' 'In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected,' he said in a social media post. A statement from King Charles said that he and Queen Camilla are 'desperately shocked by the terrible events.' 'Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across many nations,' the King said. The flight was carrying 169 Indians, 53 Britons and seven Portuguese nationals in addition to the lone Canadian, according to Air India. The plane crashed five minutes after takeoff at 1:38 p.m. local time. 1:45 Nearly 300 dead including one Canadian in Air India crash Indian television news channels reported that the plane crashed on top of the dining area of a medical college hostel and visuals showed a portion of the aircraft atop the building. Story continues below advertisement The plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. This is the first crash of a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. Air Canada has eight Boeing 787-8 aircraft in its fleet and 32 787-9 Dreamliners. The airline said the aircraft have 'performed very safely and reliably' when asked whether the Air India crash has raised any safety concerns. WestJet, which has seven Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in its fleet, also said it has 'full confidence' in its staff, training, and the safety standards of its aircraft.
