From Naomi Brown, a Grade 12 student at West Vancouver secondary:
High school can be a bit of a roller coaster, to say the least.
I have been going to West Vancouver Secondary for five years and have been able to witness it grow and change. Being part of a school with such diversity and with so many opportunities is really important to me and I am thankful for what my school has to offer.
No matter the school though, each student within it will be faced with challenges. Many people associate bullying with young children on the playground, but that’s not exclusively the case.
Particularly in recent years, and looking forward, the relatively new phenomenon of social media has perhaps opened the door to increased bullying. Although not always intentional, it is something that will be a part of our lives, no matter the age, unless something is done. Anyone can be bullied, but anyone can also be a bully.
Bullying does not have to happen. Pink Day is the first step. It is the first concerted step in educating people to be more aware of themselves and others in a positive way, and perhaps more aware that innocent actions can have negative results.
Diversity should be a celebrated thing, and Pink Day allows for that. Positive actions make a difference. We have the freedom to be who we want to be.
From Skylar Brockie, a Grade 6 student at Gleneagles elementary in West Vancouver:
Pink Day is a time for anyone to shine.
It is a day when everybody is accepted for who they are, and everyone can celebrate their talents and differences.
I may not get bullied or picked on often, but I can understand what it’s like. It’s hard to fit in with peers when you are considered “different” or “odd.” I find that when you know what it’s like you are more eager to help people like you.
Pink Day helps people remember that you have the power to make people feel special. Everyone has special talents that are different from anyone else, and
Pink Day is an opportunity to show them off. Sometimes all people need is for someone to tell them, “Hey, you’re good at that,” or “That’s really cool.”
People can find their passions just by someone complimenting them on something they hide away in themselves or that they are judged for.
I feel privileged to be participating in Pink Day this year and it is something I am proud to spread the word about.
There is something that we can do about bullying. It is not an inevitable part of growing up.
Now is your time to shine!
From Brooksbank elementary students Olivia Sherman, Nikayla Allen and Faith Grant:
Brooksbank elementary is a happy and welcoming school to be at.
We take care of each other and understand that we are all responsible for standing up for the right thing. This year, we will all be wearing our pink shirts to show each other and ourselves what it means to be a part of such a great and supportive school. B is for Belonging.
When we walk through the hallways at Brooksbank, bullying is not something we’re always thinking about.
When Grade 7 students speak at our Pink Day assemblies, they talk about how bullying happens, why it happens, and what we can all do to change it. They share stories with us, some that are very sad, and that helps us to see how painful and hurtful it is.
It makes us feel inspired to do good and to take care of ourselves and our friends. We changed our Pink Day slogan from “Don’t Bully” to “Do Good” because people seem to respond better to “do” instead of “don’t.”
We do activities that group us together with kids from other classes and other grades, to do teamwork projects. Sometimes we even have competitions to see which team can work the best together. We also have multicultural workshops that help us to explore our own family culture and learn about other people’s cultures and beliefs. We even have a potluck lunch so everyone can bring a meal from home that we can try.
It’s fun to make friends in different grades, and it makes playing at recess much more fun since we get to know everybody’s names and faces. There are lots of things we do at Brooksbank to help us all feel like we are connected, like we all belong.
Just like brothers and sisters, we don’t always get along. Sometimes we get teased or we see someone being teased, but we have the courage to stand up and talk about it with our teachers.
Our teachers are kind of like parents. They help us sort out our problems, and give us a pick-me-up when we need it. We have teachers at our school who have never taught us, but still know each of our names. Our school feels a lot like family.
From Sutherland secondary students Erin Crawley, Holly Lowe, and Katherine Mavin:
Pink Day means making a constant, continued effort to combat bullying and to create a safe, caring environment in not only your school, but your community.
It’s often difficult for students, especially in younger grades, to feel a sense of belonging when faced with the large, intimidating world of high school.
The transition from elementary school will often leave students feeling isolated in their new school, leaving them vulnerable to bullying and feelings of self-doubt.
There are many ways to combat these feelings of being disconnected, one of the best being to become involved in one’s school. From our own experiences, joining Sutherland’s student council and drama clubs gave us confidence, friends in different grades, and a feeling of being much more connected to our school.
Still, new students will often have difficulties becoming involved or will choose not to be because they are unaware of just how beneficial this involvement can be.
A few Sutherland students are seeking to change this by developing a project that involves producing a completely student-run play. We will use this production and related improv workshops at elementary schools to work towards a common goal: increasing the sense of belonging felt by elementary school students when moving into high school.
Hopefully, the production will connect the community to Sutherland and its drama programs and introduce future Sutherland students to the school and the extra-curricular opportunities that it offers. This could be one way that newer students can begin to develop a sense of belonging to the school and help create a supportive student body that can combat, and eventually stop, bullying.
