Parkcrest Elementary students mark Pink Shirt Day in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS — Pink Shirt Day began in 2007, after David Shepherd and Travis Price, Grade 12 students in Nova Scotia, bought and distributed 50 pink shirts in response to seeing a Grade 9 student being bullied for wearing one of his own. Since that initial act of kindness, Pink Shirt Day has grown across Canada and is even recognized in New Zealand.

On Wednesday morning (Feb. 28), CFJC Today visited Parkcrest Elementary at George Hilliard School to see what students there were doing to help erase bullying.

Storytime in Mrs. Dhaliwal’s kindergarten class had a distinct hue, as did the rest of the classrooms at Parkcrest Elementary at George Hilliard. That’s because today is Pink Shirt Day. Students learned about how the event got its start back in 2007.

“It was to stop people who were bullying a boy who was wearing a pink shirt to school,” kindergarten student Taryn explains. “They said that boys can’t wear pink shirts.”

The pink shirt became a symbol that allowed students to show they wouldn’t accept bullying in their schools.

“To stop people from bullying other people,” Sloane, another kindergartener says.

The whole month of February has been dedicated to understanding how kindness can greatly impact fellow students. In Mrs. Whalen’s Grade 3/4 class, students talked about strategies to make people feel comfortable.

“Stand up for other people,” Taylor suggests.

“Say kind and thoughtful words to people, trying to encourage them,” Avery says.

“Try and be kind, because kindness is contagious,” adds Abby.

“Make sure they’re safe,” Derrek says.

“And for kids to be happy!” Brady says.

Image Credit: CFJC Today

Older students, like Lexi and Mia, who are in Grade 6, understand the importance of taking a stance against bullying every day.

“If you’re a bystander and you don’t do anything, it could just get worse and worse,” Lexi says. “It’s also important for us as the big kids in the school, it’s important that we show we can make a difference, especially to the little kids.”

“We’re supposed to be the role models now because we’re older than them,” Mia adds.

The staff at Parkcrest has been working hard all month to help promote kindness wherever possible. If they witness a student going above and beyond, those students are rewarded with a pink ticket that goes onto a poster located along the hallway walls.

“Once those posters were filled with acts of kindness, they were able to earn a little bit of extra time for the class,” active vice-principal Barb Primus explains. “It was nice to what the conversations and the vocabulary they were using. It really spoke to how the teachers were taking that time and the message being super important.”

The goal is to get the kids thinking about kindness all the time, not just on Pink Shirt Day.

“It shouldn’t just be one day. It should be all the time,” Taylor says. “You can’t just say on March 1, ‘Okay, it’s time to keep bullying people.’”