Parents save Halifax school's cancelled Christmas dinner

Parents of children at a school in Halifax's north end went ahead with an annual Christmas dinner Tuesday evening despite the work-to-rule job action still in place by the Nova Scotia Teachers Union.

Extracurricular activities for public schools across Nova Scotia have been cancelled as part of the job action by teachers, so Highland Park Junior High parents stepped in to make the feast happen.

"We didn't want them to miss out on it. We're really proud to be able to pull together for our kids," said Jody Sampson, a parent and organizer. 

'We didn't want them to miss that experience'

"My daughter is in Grade 7. This would have been her first dinner at Highland Park Junior High," said Sampson. "We didn't want them to miss that experience and sense of community and pride in their school."

In past years, the junior high decorated its gym for the event. On Tuesday, about 100 students came together to dine at Saint Mother Teresa Parish, just up the road from the school. 

"It's different, but I'm glad we get to have it at all," said Liam Beaton, a Grade 7 student.

Leftovers donated to local shelters

All of the food for the event was donated by a local grocery store and cooked at Jenny's Place restaurant in the north end, free of charge. 

Twelve turkeys, 75 pounds of potatoes, 40 pounds of carrots and more than a few cupcakes were on the menu.

Leftovers from the dinner were donated to local shelters.

• Teachers in Nova Scotia to start work-to-rule job action Dec. 5
• What teachers' job action means for school lunch, breakfast programs