Pink Shirt Day preaches kindness, anti-bullying at Airdrie schools this week

Students in the Airdrie region will be saying a resounding ‘No’ to bullying this week, as the annual Pink Shirt Day approaches on Feb. 22.

At Ralph McCall School, the message is not just an anti-bullying one this year, but about how students should treat each other with kindness and respect every day, according to Tammy Nisbet, a child development supervisor at the elementary school.

All this week, students at Ralph McCall School are taking part in the “Be Kind Challenge.”

“Every day has a theme, and we have students who come down (to the office) to make the announcement and talk about the theme and challenge of the day,” explained Nisbet. “We encourage all students to follow through with it.”

The week started out with Good Deed Monday, Compliment Tuesday and Thankful Wednesday, and it will conclude with Gratitude Thursday, Helpful Friday, Chore Saturday, and Self-Care Sunday.

The school’s actual Pink Shirt Day is slated for Feb. 17, as the official day, Feb. 22, falls on a Professional Development Day next week, meaning classes will not be in session. On Friday, students will be encouraged to wear pink clothing as part of the initiative.

Nisbet hoped by focusing on personal kindness and regard for others, the Be Kind Challenge would help prevent actual instances of potential bullying by informing students about the value of caring for and respecting one another.

“When we are thinking about other people, and other people are thinking about us, it feels good,” she said. “It shows we are aware of other people around us. 

“Pink Shirt Day is, of course, bringing attention to bullying awareness, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be about bullying. It’s about having thoughts about other people and thinking about other people. It’s about giving back to community and making a safe place to be, to learn, and to play.”

According to Pink Shirt Day Canada's website, the initiative began in 2007 in Berwick, Nova Scotia, after a new student at their school was bullied for wearing a pink shirt. In response, two Grade 12 students bought 50 pink shirts and encouraged their classmates to wear them the next day.

When the seniors went to distribute the shirts across campus, much to their surprise, the majority of students arrived wearing pink. With that collective act of kindness and solidarity, Pink Shirt Day was born, and has now grown to become a nationwide initiative. 

The day to take a stand against bullying is now marked every year in Canada and other countries around the world on the last Wednesday of February.

For more information, visit pinkshirtdaycanada.ca.