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FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Many schools across the city wore pink shirts on Wednesday to raise anti-bullying awareness in the community.
According to Jason Gill, principal at Bert Bowes Middle School, his school focuses on talking to kids about how they can stand together against bullies and support one another on Pink Shirt Day.
“Today, we’ve got a large group of people that are wearing the hoodies and shirts. It’s pretty awesome to see,” Gill said.
Signage is also available throughout the school detailing how to deal with bullying, he added.
The principal said bullying is important to talk about as it’s still prevalent, and if students don’t learn how to deal with bullying at a younger age, it can play out differently when they’re “out in the real world.”
“It’s where the building blocks are put in place for a successful future,” Gill explained.
Another school participating in Pink Shirt Day is Anne Roberts Young Elementary School.
Principal Broyden Bennett said the school had turned it into a monthly campaign with its own acronym, “We Rock” Pink Shirt Day, which stands for welcoming, empathetic, respectful, open-minded, cooperative and kind.
This year is also the school’s second time doing a t-shirt design contest.
The parent advisory council (PAC) chooses designs made by the students, and a panel of judges decides which shirt will be produced.
“This year, it was two students, and we took their logos and blended them together, and that’s what went on the shirt,” Bennett said.
The PAC ensured each student received a shirt on Pink Shirt Day by donating the required shirts.
“Classes will be doing different activities throughout the day on their own, and then we do have a monthly assembly based on our own acronyms,” Bennett explained.
Bennett said Pink Shirt Day at Anne Roberts Young is more staff and student-driven.
“I think the drive is to continually educate kids and help them get the help when they need it…I think we’re just trying to be proactive with it.”
“I think we’re just trying to be proactive with it.”
The international movement began after a small act of kindness in Nova Scotia in 2007, where two boys banded together to wear pink to protest the bullying of a new student who wore pink.
According to Pinkshirtday.ca, one in five kids are affected by bullying, but over 110 countries participated in Pink Shirt Day 2022.
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