A Campbell River teen was the talk of the schoolyard before she even arrived for class Friday.
Kaydence Harris, 15, was standing at the bus stop shortly after 7:30 a.m. when a large black bear darted out from the bushes right in front of her.
"I just saw a black thing crawl out of the bush and it just ran right across the street in front of me," Harris told CTV News.
The quick-thinking teen whipped out her phone and captured the moment for her pals on Snapchat, but not before demonstrating some bear-awareness knowledge for the younger kids waiting with her.
"I just told the younger kids to stay behind me and make big noises," Harris said.
"The bears are very common in my neighbourhood because I live in a very well-forested area," the Carihi Secondary School student said.
Discovery Passage Elementary School, where the bear was seen scaling a fence and darting across the grounds, is permanently closed.
Harris, who's never seen a bear from so close, said it's important to remember that bears are right at home in her Campbell River neighbourhood.
"I want you guys to know we did not call a conservation officer because we know that we're also in the bear's neighbourhood as well," Harris said.
"So we just let it be and didn’t do anything to harm it."
