'Hoping for the best': Some Sask. students feeling left out amid teacher job actions

Roman Iula and his peers were supposed to be putting the final touches on their routine for Saskatoon high school dance and cheer city finals.

Roman Iula and his peers were supposed to be putting the final touches on their routine for Saskatoon high school dance and cheer city finals.

Instead, that competition and many others were cancelled this week after the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) withdrew extracurricular activities as part of escalating job actions. Teachers are not paid for this work, but typically run these events on a voluntary basis.

"We're hoping for the best because we don't want high school to end on that note where it's like, I couldn't have my last team huddle, my last ball in the net, my last run down the court because of these cancellations," Iula said.

The Grade 12 student is one of thousands affected by the ongoing labour dispute between Saskatchewan's teachers and the province.

With extracurricular events not happening until at least April 6 because of next week's Easter break, it's affecting students well beyond sports cancellations.

Student representative councils can't meet and plan, school spirit days are being postponed or cancelled, and clubs and activities students have worked on all year might be for naught.

Iula says students these days are missing a major part of the regular school experience.