Students at Catholic Central High School in Windsor want Premier Kathleen Wynne to see for herself why they need a new school.
The school, founded in 1985, opened in an abandoned school. Today, the building is 86 years old. The elevator doesn't work, and neither does the WiFi in some sections of the building. Despite qualifying for many sports competitions, the students have never had a sports field.
The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board has been lobbying the province for seven years to build a new $25-million facility, possibly on the site of the defunct Windsor Arena. When it was left out of a $486-million provincial funding announcement earlier this month, chair Barb Holland expressed bitter disappointment.
"To look at that list and to see where the funding went and to not see our name on it was tremendously disappointing."
Student Prime Minister Jessica Helou says the building doesn't define the student body but asks the premier to imagine what they could do if they had a modern facility.
"We want her to know that our school feels like a home. It's not just a building," she says. "When you think of home you don't think about the paint chipping or the draft that the windows are letting in. You think about your family and if they're okay, and that is what's happening at CCH."
The students will also embark on a public education campaign involving letters home to parents, recruiting Grade 8 students to their cause, and the use of the hashtag #imaginethepossibilityCCH on social media.