City Hall School: Queen Elizabeth School Grade 9

How does Calgary distribute wealth, justice, and power? Two Grade 9 classes from Queen Elizabeth High School put Calgary on myriad scales to weigh fairness and effectiveness.

During each week at City Hall School, the students toured Inn from the Cold, where families seek emergency shelter and live in cubicles with minimal space and privacy. (For one class, this tour followed an exploration of downtown high-rises -- some with vacant offices.) While the students’ learning was profound -- and we thank Meg Kominek, Elizabeth Gray, and Renee Lozada for this opportunity -- it also felt uncomfortable. Had we shown disrespect by observing vulnerable families in their temporary home? Should we bear witness? Would we have experienced the same impact and understanding if we hadn’t seen this living arrangement? Back in their downtown classroom, students had to be cut off in the middle of their impassioned discussions, simply to get on the bus and go home.

These teens considered public places where all are welcome, such as the Municipal Building, where any citizen may attend meetings in the Council Chamber, and where Fair Entry offers reduced fees for fairer access to services and programs. The Calgary Public Library -- another public space -- bustles with patrons.

At the Calgary Courts Centre, where anyone is free to observe a trial, Sheriff Bob Howie showed various courtrooms, and students sat in on proceedings. One class heard a judge give a convict one last chance to complete drug treatment; the other class listened to police testimony in a DUI trial. Students stacked each man’s right to privacy against the value of an open, transparent, accessible court.

Another public space is the main floor of the McDougall Centre, Calgary’s home to our provincial government. With the guidance of booking coordinator JT Clode, the Grade 9s discovered the building’s history and current use, and one of the classes held a formal debate in the caucus chamber. Their topics:

• Incentives should be provided for women and minority candidates to run in a municipal election.
• Public tax money should finance a new arena.

One class met Premier Rachel Notley, who was at the Calgary Public Library to help launch the Indigenous Languages Resource Centre.

Justice, wealth, and power offered countless possibilities for one week. Yet the students also thoughtfully considered public access to processes, programs, and spaces, and the right to privacy. No easy answers.

Sheila Bean, City Hall School coordinator