Central Kings still a bully-free zone
Ten years after Pink Shirt Day created at CK, students still mark the occasion
The legacy of the first Pink Shirt Day at Central Kings Rural High School in 2007 lives on a decade later.
“We like to celebrate an inspiring event that was that first year,” says Adrie Cameron, who is student council prime minister.
Cameron said the student body takes a stand against bullying every year.
“The conversation started 10 years ago and we are keeping it going. We don’t want to stand by and let bullying happen,” she said.
Cameron estimated 60 per cent of the student population wore pink Sept. 13. The student council set up face painting, a photo booth and sold pink cotton candy.
Danielle Hayden and Jessie Martin, who also serve on the council, said the event reminds students that they still need to take a stand against bullying.
Cameron hopes older students who see a younger student being picked on won’t put up with it.
She sees senior students and staff as role models.
The student body at Central Kings held an assembly at lunchtime on Sept. 13 and then walked to the Waterville fire hall and back waving pink posters.
Vice-principal Stan Mcvicar called the Central Kings students “exceptional” for keeping the anti-bullying message strong for a decade.
“People are thoroughly impressed,” he said during the assembly. “Make Pink Day not just one day, but every day. Be there for each other. Lift people up.”
Cameron told the assembly that about 6.5 million individuals mark Pink Day in 13 countries.
In 2007, the Pink Shirt Day co-founders were aiming
to support a male Grade 9 student who was bullied for wearing a pink polo shirt on the first day of school. They purchased 50 pink shirts to distribute to CK students at school the following day. They e-mailed classmates to spread the word about their idea, dubbed Sea of Pink, and hundreds of students showed up for school the next day sporting pink attire. The campaign received international attention.