Students share message of kindness on Pink Shirt Day

“I think it’s very important,” said Kassidy Rae, a Grade 12 student at the school. “You don’t always know what’s going on in people’s lives, so it’s always nice to make them feel better about themselves, help them out, and spread kindness.”

“Kindness is key basically,” added Hannah Blackmer, another Grade 12 student at the school. “In school, when you’re kind to one another, you feel welcomed by them, you feel that you belong with them,. And you feel friendship growing. When you’re not kind to someone, or someone’s not kind to you, it makes you feel not nice inside.”

Bullying prevention has become a focus at many schools across Canada, and at Monsignor McCoy it’s no exception, with Blackmer noting it’s one of the main things the school focuses on.

“Personally, I have experienced bullying, and nobody knows until you tell someone,” she said. “When I told someone, right away, they did something about it.”

She adds in her opinion, students are more open about talking about bullying recently.

“The teachers really get to connect with their students more, that’s what I like about this school,” she said. “I can go to a teacher and tell someone about this like they’re an old friend of mine. They don’t make you feel like it’s your fault, and they don’t make you feel like you’ve done something wrong.”

Natasha Taylor, a teacher and counsellor at the school, says staff have received training and attended workshops to help identify bullying, what it looks like, and signs students are being bullied.

“There’s definitely open and honest conversation, and staff know the different supports and resources and community partnerships we can use to help those students,” she said.

Taylor adds Pink Shirt Day serves as a reminder for students that there are supports if you’re being bullied.

by Charles Lefebvre

Students share message of kindness on Pink Shirt Day

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