Latest news with #RosedaleHeights
CTV News
21 hours ago
- CTV News
‘He's been here for 33 years': Hundreds of students protest TDSB decision to transfer beloved principal
Students at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts gathered in protest after news the TDSB is transferring their principal, who worked at the school for 33 years.
CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
'We do not want him to go': Toronto students rally to reinstate principal
Students at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts staged a walkout in support of their principal. CBC's Clara Pasieka explains why. While it is not policy, it is longtime practice for principals and vice principals to be moved or rotated every five or so years.
CTV News
a day ago
- General
- CTV News
‘He's been here for 33 years': Hundreds of students protest TDSB decision to transfer beloved principal
Hundreds of Rosedale Heights School of the Arts protest the transfer of their beloved principal. Hundreds of students walked out of Rosedale Heights School of the Arts this morning, protesting the Toronto District School Board (TDSB)'s decision to transfer their beloved principal, Barrie Sketchley. 'I thought it was kind of disgusting considering he's been here for 33 years,' said student Georgia Gonzalez. Sketchley, who is in his 80s, plans to work just one more year before retiring. He transformed what was a vocational school where students learned trades into one for the arts, and has remained as the school's principal for more than 30 years. Some students shared with CTV News what they loved about Sketchley. They said he greets them when they arrive to school for the day, attends every school concert and even knows everyone by name. One student shared how they have been able to experiment with their art thanks to the safe environment Sketchley created. Another pointed to how the principal fought to keep the same amount of funding for their arts programs, while other schools cut their costs. The superintendent made the announcement on Monday in a letter saying, in part, 'Mr. Sketchley will always be a part of the RHSA community, and I sincerely thank him for his outstanding service to students. Please join me in wishing him well at his new school.' The letter announced he would be transferred to Harbord Collegiate and a new principal, Mr. Joseph Ghassibe, would take his place. Katrina Matheson, who is on the school council, says they have been in touch with the TDSB with open lines of communication trying to reverse its decision. 'I don't know if the door is open for changes, but it's our hope,' she said. Richard Rose has two daughters who have gone to this school. 'He founded the school and he's in great shape,' said Rose. 'He does what he needs to do and the kids love him and he can do his job. Why go about this? It seems kind of odd or mean spirited.' CTV News spoke briefly with Sketchley but he declined an interview, only expressing his love for his students. In May 2023, CTV News profiled Sketchley and spoke of having never wanted to do anything else except be an educator. He's the longest serving principal in the province and the Toronto School Administrators Association held a gala to celebrate him. Within days of finding out about Sketchley's transfer, students mobilized plans for the walk out including creating a social media presence. Teacher Maryanne Marsh has worked alongside Sketchley for 30 years. 'He's created a culture of kindness and that is very unique,' she said. She is retiring at the end of this year herself and says this is a terrible way for his celebrated career to end. 'They should allow this man some dignity and grace and to exit his legacy and his career in a way that celebrates him,' said Marsh. The TDSB says Principal and Vice Principal placements and transfers are an operation decision by staff. The transfer is scheduled to take effect July 1.
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
'We don't want him to go': Toronto students rally to reinstate principal
Students at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts staged a walkout in support of their principal. CBC's Clara Pasieka explains why.
National Post
7 days ago
- Politics
- National Post
Toronto parents rally to save job of long-serving principal at arts high school
For more than three decades, Barrie Sketchley has led Rosedale Heights, an art-focused high school near Toronto's tony Rosedale-Moore Park neighbourhood. Article content Now more than 80 years old, Sketchley's fate will be decided on Monday when the board of trustees votes to approve — or reject — suggestions on principal assignments made by Toronto District School Board (TDSB) staff. Sketchley is expected to be forced to leave the school he helped build into something students and parents say is pretty special. And they are outraged and upset, racing against the clock to save his job. This is all happening against a backdrop of a number of controversies involving Canada's largest school district. Article content Article content Just last week, Ontario's Progressive Conservative government introduced legislation to give the province more oversight over local school boards. Article content Article content It was two weeks ago that parents and students first heard that Sketchley was expected to leave. The TDSB has a policy on transferring principals between schools; while this is meant to ensure that good principals are being moved around, parents haven't always been happy with the decisions. Article content When Zara Kheiriddin, a 15-year-old Grade 10 student at the school, first found out that Sketchley was going to be moved, she acted quickly: with a friend, she organized a petition to keep him — and secured nearly 300 signatures from fellow students and teachers before Sketchley himself shut it down. Article content 'It's like, resounding, that most of students and parents and the staff, too, want him to stay,' said Zara. 'It's the school where I've felt the safest personally from, like, bullying and typical other — the kind of stuff you get in other schools.' Article content Article content Zara is the daughter of National Post columnist Tasha Kheiriddin, who, in turn, wrote to Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra expressing concern over Sketchley's transfer. Article content Article content 'The community is asking for fairness, respect for a principal who has given everything to public education, and the right to maintain leadership that reflects the school's unique mission and values,' Kheiriddin wrote. 'I urge you to look into this matter immediately.' Article content 'It just shows that not only do they disrespect parents, they're disrespecting a valued educator who's given so much to the community. That they would force him out in this way is appalling,' said Kheiriddin in an interview.
