As teachers continue to withdraw their support for extra-curricular activities like secondary school open houses designed to entice new students, recruitment nights in Sudbury may lose their luster.

Such is the case at Lockerby Composite, where teachers are not participating as part of their continued disagreement with the provincial government.

That leaves students and parents to fill in the gaps.

"We have to do all the planning, mostly ourselves, all the enacting, the conducting,” said Grade 12 student Josh Sherman, who is a member of Lockerby's music council.

Grade 12 Lockerby Composite student Josh Sherman said a lack of teacher participation in extra-curricular activities has prompted him to take on more of of a leadership role in the Sudbury school's music department. (Hilary Duff/CBC)

“It just puts a lot more responsibility on the older students to make sure it's prepared with not so much teacher guidance."

Sherman added there is a slight perk to the planning, saying it has taught him new leadership skills and increased his independence.

'It's not our job'

For those parents and students who find the school information nights lacking, the director of education with the Rainbow board said open houses aren't the only way for prospective students and parents to get acquainted with a high school.

"If they don't get the information, we do ask parents to make an arrangement to have a conversation with a guidance counsellor from the various high schools and then go through the programs with them and make an informed decision,” Norm Blaseg said.

“I think, once they do, they'll become very comfortable with their choice."

Blaseg said teacher participation will vary, based on the school.

The teachers’ union said it’s up to the teachers whether or not they want to participate in the information sessions.

Sheman said he's frustrated by the lack of teacher involvement.

"We should do our part to attract the future students by, as students ourselves, saying this is the school and it's fun,” he said.

“But when we leave it's not us who's getting paid and it's not us teaching them … so it's kind of [an] indecisive question whether or not it's our job to be responsible for attracting future students."