School graduations are always full of meaning and emotion, but they had extra significance this year.
I attended my daughter’s middle school graduation. I sweated it out with hundreds of parents in the gym, which lacked even basic air conditioning. When my daughter’s name was called, she crossed the stage in her lace dress while my husband snapped grainy photos from the balcony. The ceremony felt supermarket-line ordinary and unforgettable at the same time.
The defining emotions of this graduation season for me, however, were not relief and pride, but poignancy and anger as I witnessed the impact of the Conservatives' cuts. Those feelings came to the fore a few days later at Heydon Park Secondary School.
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Heydon Park is a special school.
It serves young women, trans and non-binary students who face huge challenges, including trauma, serious health issues, anxiety and developmental disabilities.
This year’s graduating class was just 17 students. When I arrived, a teacher was texting a few students to confirm they were coming. The ceremony was briefly delayed for late arrivals.
It is obvious the TDSB is closing Heydon Park to save money. Officials are not saying that publicly, but enrolment has stopped for Grades 9 and 10, and the school is being forced to move to midtown Toronto.
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Graduation ceremonies usually include hopeful remarks from school leaders and elected officials, including myself. Not this year.
Flexing his authoritarian muscle, in June, Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra instructed schools to keep ‘politics’ out of graduation ceremonies and focus on student achievement only.
Many principals interpreted that as an outright ban on elected officials taking part —not speaking, presenting awards or even sitting on stage. The government reversed course mere days before graduation season, but most principals were understandably reluctant to invite me.
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At Heydon Park, I sat on stage, and I’m so grateful because it was one of the most moving graduations I’ve attended.
Before each graduate accepted their certificate, a teacher delivered a heartfelt speech about their personality, struggles and accomplishments.
There was Farrah. (Some names have been changed for privacy.) Her teacher spoke of the hardships she overcame, and it was clear from her tone that Farrah’s perseverance and leadership had left a lasting impression.
There was Julia, who found her voice at Heydon. We’re not talking about gaining the confidence to answer questions in class. Julia literally did not speak—until she did. She walked across the stage clutching her teddy, and the teachers affectionately called the bear by its name.
The emotional centre of the ceremony was the speech by Buddy – the valedictorian.
Buddy spoke about what it was like to attend Heydon Park while the school faced the threat of closure.
“As we see this decay, we have to combat that by raising our heads high and living.”, they said.
“We might be the last ones to walk this stage. We probably are. Nothing lasts forever, but this school deserves to live another hundred years, to help more people, just as it has helped me.”
With this message, Buddy pointed to something the Conservatives want to keep out of graduation ceremonies: politics.
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Politics has shaped Buddy’s education. Whether a school stays open or closes is a political decision. So is telling students what they can and cannot say at a graduation ceremony.
Buddy’s honesty captured the sadness, joy and anger among parents, staff, and students. They responded with a standing ovation.
What happens to students once they leave the safe harbour of Heydon Park? The guidance counsellor told me that 10 of the graduates will go to college to study programs like childcare, cosmetology and broadcasting.
These young people are taking courageous steps toward independent lives at a time when it is tough to launch into adulthood. Unemployment is high. Housing is expensive. Some Heydon graduates will need ongoing support. A few may never live independently.
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Our province should be doing so much more to help young people with challenges reach their full potential.
Too often, those responsibilities are left to exhausted families. That is a mistake.
Following the ceremony, I joined the indefatigable parents Paulette and Kamala to speak with a senior TDSB official about the school’s future. We urged the board to keep the school open and resume enrolment for all grades.
The TDSB just posted its budget for next year. Scroll past the photos of smiling students to the number and it’s clear that more cuts, layoffs, larger class sizes, and school closures are coming.
The Conservatives don’t want us to challenge these political decisions. The truth, however, is that having educators, parents and students get politically involved is what is going to make all the difference to the fate of Heydon, the health of our public schools, and the achievement of graduates for generations to come.
Jessica Bell
MPP, University-Rosedale