UGDSB students and staff stand up to bullying
February 28, 2018
GUELPH, Ontario – Students and staff in the Upper Grand District School Board stood up to bullying on Wednesday for Pink Shirt Day.
Pink Shirt Day started several years ago as a day dedicated to raising awareness for anti-bullying initiatives and promoting a healthy self-esteem for everyone.
The day began in 2007 in Nova Scotia when two students rallied their school together to stand up to bullies who were making fun of a boy who wore a pink shirt to school. The students came to school the next day with 50 pink shirts so that groups of students could wear pink in support of the bullied student.
Many UGDSB schools held assemblies on Wednesday to discuss bullying and let students know that they are not alone.
Ottawa Crescent Public School created a “Sea of Pink,” for Pink Shirt Day. Students and staff put on their pink shirts and came together in the gymnasium so that all you could see was pink.
As part of the assembly, Principal Sean Cameron unveiled new student art pieces to add to the school’s “Unlearn wall.” Each art piece shared a message of acceptance and unlearning discriminatory behaviour. The students that created the art piece introduced it to the school.
The Upper Grand DSB does not just stand up to bullying one day a year; each school, students and staff promote acceptance and anti-bullying year round through board-wide initiatives, individual school programs and professional development workshops.
February 28 is about one day, but it is also about so much more and the Upper Grand DSB strives to provide a safe and inclusive environment for students and staff year-round. Although there are many initiatives in the board, some of them are highlighted below.
The UGDSB offers character education programs in many of our schools; these programs discuss building empathy, resolving conflict in a peaceful manner and building inclusive relationships.
Some UGDSB schools are involved with Me to We. Me to We clubs participate in ongoing projects for social activism and fundraising initiatives.
Each year the UGDSB hosts an Empowerment Day for students. This year, a committee of UGDSB educators has been assembled to create lesson plans that teachers can use in the classroom leading up to Empowerment Day.
Students promote a positive inclusive environment year round by creating posters and messages about positivity and inclusivity and hanging them throughout the school. Many UGDSB schools also have “Unlearn walls.”
Each UGDSB school has an equity committee with both students and staff promoting inclusivity around the school.
The Upper Grand DSB makes sure to talk about the hard topics like discrimination, reconciliation, bullying, anxiety, mental health and more everyday so that students and staff know that resources to support them are available.
For more information about bullying and resources available to students in the board, please visit the board website.
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