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A group of graduating students from a Surrey secondary school who left a wake of garbage and damaged property behind them after a large bush party in the Upper Squamish Valley last weekend will get a lesson in social responsibility this week.
The students will be returning to Anderson Beach next Thursday (May 31) after their school's principal was informed of the damage left behind.
"It's a gray area for the school because it happened over the weekend," said Cate Turner, principal of Frank Hurt Secondary School (FHSS).
"But we will be coming up there with a bus load of students on May 31 to have them clean up the site. We feel that part of what we teach here is social responsibility and it's important that students know they need to take responsibility for their actions," said Turner.
"I spoke to the students and asked them how would they feel if a group of Squamish students came down here and did to our football field the same thing that they did up there."
"Dirt bikes, ATVs and trucks have destroyed the sandy beach, beside making loud noises across the entire valley all weekend long," said Frank Kalous, an area resident who chronicled the damage.
"There is litter everywhere, broken glass, trees chopped down, plastic, condoms, human excrements, burned wood, smoldered camping gear, car parts, mess, mess, mess."
A written itinerary found at the scene identified the grads as being from Frank Hurt Secondary School.
"I'd like to say I'm sorry," said a student named in the document as an organizer. Despite the apology, the student quickly abdicated responsibility.
"But personally, I am not responsible for any of the mess that was left behind," said the student, whose phone number was left on the itinerary sheet as a contact. "I personally cleaned up my entire mess.
"All I can say is that I'm not going to have a hand in organizing events like that because of the aftermath that was left," said the graduate.Party organizers will be among the students that Turner will be bringing along for the clean up.
"I was hoping to be able to get two buses but it's field trip season, so we'll bringing up 50 students," said Turner. "We have the bus from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. so we'll be there from ... 10 a.m. to 3 p.m."
The students are all between the ages of 17 and 18 years old. Kalous expressed disappointment at how the teens behaved.
"Why are we people so stupid?" said Kalous. "Don't we understand that this way we will run out of beautiful places in no time? And the places that will stay will be under restrictions, supervision, and control of some kind of authority.
"We are promoting the Olympic Games to show the world how capable we are and how wonderful this province and country is. Now, picture a visitor going down the river and seeing this mess on the bank from the raft. Let me tell you what he or she will think: 'Yes, Canada is a beautiful country, but Canadians do not deserve it. They are pigs. They are messing it all up.'"
