A unity of pink connected people across the Island yesterday as they participated in the national Anti-Bullying Day.
Islanders were encouraged to wear pink as a symbol to raise awareness and to take a stand against bullying. It has been happening on Feb. 27 since students in Nova Scotia had the idea after a bullying incident at a high school.
Staff and students at Three Oaks Senior High did their part to put an end to bullying with a presentation and they received the Tami Martell Award for their school climate improvement from last year.
Principal Nicole Haire started the presentation with positivity towards the issue.
“Welcome to what we hope will be a significant, if not life-changing assembly,” she said.
Also, the documentary “Bully” was shown to get the powerful message across.
“The film we’re about to see is not a Hollywood blockbuster, it’s more important than that. The stories are real and I may warn you, so is the pain,” said Haire.
Putting an end to bullying is a passion of hers.
“It’s time to stand up Three Oaks, because we can.”
In a release on Wednesday, Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Alan McIsaac said the effects of bullying are heard about too often.
“It’s an issue that we see on the rise in our schools and communities across the country. No one deserves to be discriminated against and we all need to work together to promote fairness and respect in our schools, workplaces and communities.”
McIsaac said the department recognizes it is a serious concern.
“That is why we continue to look for opportunities to address it in our schools and classrooms. In addition to school board policies and school health programs, our curriculum focuses on helping students develop respect and caring for others as well as building their own emotional, mental and spiritual well-being.”
