At Hamilton's only public high school without a sports field, these students are rallying for change

Nearly 400 people have signed a petition started by students at Bernie Custis Secondary School (BCSS) to build a sports field at the only public high school in Hamilton that doesn't have one. 

Victoria Hoeksema and Phoenix Hughes, the students behind the petition, said not having a field is "unfair" and has affected their high school experience. 

Hoeksema said most of the 370 signatures are from students of the school.

"Every time that we've told [students] what it's about, especially the boys on the football team, they want it to move forward," said Hughes.

The school doesn't have a full yard for students. Instead, there's a grassy area with berms (small hills on otherwise flat terrain) between the school and the adjacent Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre.

Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) trustee from Ward 3 Maria Felix Miller told CBC Hamilton the plan is to remove the berms this summer.

BCSS opened in 2019 across from Tim Hortons Field, where Canadian Football League team the Hamilton Tiger-Cats play. It is the public school board's only high school without a sports field, according to HWDSB superintendent Gerry Smith.

"The absence of a field is quite a barrier," he told CBC Hamilton in an interview. "When you think about high school, and all the activities you can do when you have your own field, even the ones that happen that aren't planned, it is quite a challenge for students not to be able to access a field regularly."

He said he hopes removing the berms will help fill the gap for the time being.

Hoeksema said she has friends on the school's football team and Hughes has friends on the school's soccer team. 

Their petition also called for the removal of the berms on the green space next to the school — Hoekema said they hadn't been told there was a plan to remove them already in the works. 

Still, Hoekema said removing the berms would just be a "band-aid solution," adding it's upsetting to see her schoolmates, many of whom she said come from poverty, be at a disadvantage compared to students at other schools. 

BCSS teams can use Tim Hortons Field for 400 hours per year. None of those hours are allocated for gym classes, Hoeksema said.

"Forget about our sports teams, our gym classes should not be stuck inside for the whole year," she said.