A class of Grade 6 students from Landing Trail Intermediate have rallied together to make sure the tragedy that took away their friend and schoolmate Lee Thunder won’t happen again.
The Grade 6-C class is seeking support to have lights installed on the trail running along the east hill, as well as signs warning drivers to slow down and watch for pedestrians on Highway 55. They would also like a plaque memorializing Lee Thunder.
Thunder, 12, was walking alongside the highway up the east hill with his cousin to their home in Cornwall on the night of Mar. 17.
The class proposed the initiative to Athabasca County council, appearing as a delegation at their Mar. 26 meeting. Council commended the students on their engagement with local issues.
“The leadership shown here is incredible,” praised Reeve Doris Splane.
The class teacher Jeff Semenchuk said the group was learning about local government and democracy in their social studies course, but were not sure how to get involved until the loss of Semenchuk’s former student, Thunder.
About half of the 25 students at the presentation said they don’t use the trail because they feel unsafe. One student added he walks on the road because the trail can be dangerous.
“Winter can have icy trails and it’s out of sight of the road. If you get into trouble, you can’t call for help,” he said.
Semenchuk said many of his students don’t walk the trail at night to avoid the animals that walk through and other things that can’t be seen in the dark.
To demonstrate his point, he shot a video of himself walking the trail at night.
“My blood pressure went up, especially when someone is going down (the trail),” he said. “It’s eerie. I asked someone to come with me.”
Council said they support the project, but think it needs to be decided by the town.
“We can make a tremendous impact if we work together,” said councillor Larry Speers.
Splane suggested the class approach Alberta Transportation who installed the streetlights on the road.
The cost for the lights on the path and their installation as well as the road signage has yet to be determined.
The students will be making a similar presentation to Athabasca town council at their meeting tonight.
