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Prince Rupert students celebrate Pink Shirt Day with kindness

Canada commemorates 15th anniversary of anti-bullying campaign
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Students at Pineridge Elementary School celebrated Pink Shirt Day on Feb. 23. (Photo: Norman Galimski/The Northern View)

Prince Rupert school kids and staff adorned rose-coloured clothing to celebrate Pink Shirt Day on Feb. 23.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of anti-bullying campaign, which began in Canada and is now celebrated across the world. Pink Shirt Day falls on the last Wednesday of February every year.

Throughout the week, students at Pineridge Elementary School have been focusing on kindness through various activities to commemorate the occasion, Debra Fabbi, school principal, told The Northern View.

“This year’s theme of belonging and empowerment means no matter who you are, where you’re from, what you look like or what you believe in, we all have the right to be respected and accepted for our true authentic selves,” Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Education, said. “We encourage everyone to join together and celebrate diversity, belonging and empowerment.”

Pineridge alumni have been learning about effective strategies to help promote kindness when dealing with bullying. One such strategy taught is WITS — an acronym for walk away, ignore, talk it out and seek help.

Students have also been reading stories about kindness, such as Have You Filled Your Bucket Today?, as well as watching and acting out a student-made anti-bullying film from the previous year. The school also hosted a draw for pink shirts.

On top of all the activities, teachers also chronicled the story of the origin of the Pink Shirt Day — when a Grade 9 boy was bullied for wearing a pink shirt prompting Travis Price and David Sheppard to take action to buy and then distribute pink shirts to nearly all the students at the school the next day in solidarity with the bullied child.

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Norman Galimski | Journalist
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