Students and teachers across School District 27 wore pink on Wednesday, Feb. 26 for Pink Shirt Day to stand as a community against bullying.
Originating in Nova Scotia, Pink Shirt Day or Anti-Bullying Day is marked by students, children and educators across Canada and the globe as a way to raise awareness about bullying. In the Cariboo students and teachers from all grade levels answered that call this year turning their school hallways into streams of pink.
At Lake City Secondary Columneetza Campus, leadership teacher Ryan Hanley said the event provides students a way to stand up to bullies without directly confronting them face to face, something he feels a lot of us finds difficult to do.
“I think every school has its issues with bullying, they have kids in it who feel they are misunderstood or targeted,” Hanley said, adding Pink Shirt Day allows these children to identify possible allies amongst their classmates.
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Hanley said it’s good to ensure all students know that they all have the right to feel safe when they come to school and that education is a universal right for everyone. He was particularly happy with the day’s theme this year, Lift Each Other Up, which he and his leadership students used as inspiration for a series of announcements and presentations to the school.
Meanwhile, just down the road at Nesika Elementary School, teachers and students participated in a school assembly about Pink Shirt Day.
There, students wore their pink shirts and talked about anti-bullying, steps in how to deal with a conflict with someone and the many ways one can show kindness to others. A few classes went for a kindness walk in the afternoon, holding posters created with messages of kindness.
patrick.davies@wltribune.com
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