Emily Plihal
Smoky River Express
Students at Georges P. Vanier School in Donnelly have made a stand against bullying.
To celebrate Anti-Bullying Day on Feb. 25, the students wore pink to support the nation-wide stance on preventing bullying in everyday situations.
Support staff member Judith Colter says the school decided to participate in Pink Shirt Day after information was sent to the school pertaining to a bullying situation in Nova Scotia.
“Last year, we were contacted via email with information about Pink Shirt Day but we had received it too late to participate,” says Colter. “This year, we’ve participated by putting up posters in the hallway with anti-bullying messages and urged the students to wear pink.”
Pink Shirt Day was initiated in Nova Scotia after a boy was harassed for wearing a pink. Bullies threatened to beat the boy up because of the colour he was wearing.
Two Grade 12 students in the boy’s school decided to take action against the bullies.
They bought 50 pink shirts and tank tops to make a statement that bullying would not be accepted in their presence. They contacted friends who also attended their school to wear pink the day after the boy was harassed.
When the boy went to school the next day, many of his peers in the school had worn pink to support him for wearing the colour.
“The bullied student felt supported and the bully learned to stay quiet,” says Colter. “We felt it was necessary to get the message out to the students in our school that bullying is not acceptable in any situation.”
Colter explains bullying comes in many different forms including gossiping about others and throwing out general comments at others.
“Our main concern is preventing bullies,” says Vanier vice principal Bob Owens.
“It is so hard to deal with those situations after they’ve occured. Teaching the students it is not okay to bug others is our main focus.”
Owens says society overall has become more sarcastic and the sarcasm can often be taken wrong by others.
He explains even jokes can become a form of bullying if the recipient misunderstands what is being said or if there is an underlying message in the harassment.
He also believes although funny, television satire is sometimes mistaken for appropriate conversational skills. He insists that students phrase their conversation very carefully when talking to another person.
“We are very pleased with the number of students who participated by wearing pink,” says Colter. “We’re proud of the students for standing up and saying bullying is not acceptable.”
Participants in Pink Shirt Day were urged to only wear the colour if individuals were prepared to commit to preventing bullying, even at a personal level.
Posters remain up in Georges P. Vanier School, reminding students of the importance of preventing bullying and standing up for others when they are being bullied.
More information can be found by visiting www.pinkshirtday.ca.
