Tickled Pink at Griffiths Scott

PINK SHIRT DAY: Bullying Stops Here

by Barry McDonald

Thursday, January 24, 2013

   “Today, cyber bullying doesn’t just involve teens but anyone can be attacked - on Facebook, email, or by texting. Bullying can lead to depression, not wanting to go to work or school, long-term effects that stay into adulthood, or to suicide.” This is the introduction leading up to the Wetaskiwin and Area Pink Shirt Day on February 27, 2013. The kick-off to Pink Shirt Day was held in the Griffiths Scott Middle School in Millet on January 21st. Students and staff gathered in the lobby and were advised how to detect and avoid bullying and told about the harmful effects of bullying.
   In December of 2011, the Pink Shirt Day Coalition was formed in Wetaskiwin. As plans for Pink Shirt Day 2012 evolved, the Coalition decided the Pink Shirt Day would be the best way to spread the anti-bullying message; that bullying would not be tolerated in our community schools, our playgrounds, our businesses, our homes or on our streets.
   Historically, pink has always been a symbol of femininity. So much so that in-the-past people felt it was unacceptable for a ‘real man’ to wear pink. It is hard to imagine a male purchasing a pink shirt 25 years ago… and that is if he could have found one. Imagine the young jock taking off his hockey gear and putting on a pink shirt. Imagine the young athlete playing ball or soccer with a pink t-shirt. Imagine the young cowboy climbing into the saddle …..well, you get the idea. It can be very humbling and in many cases embarrassing to wear something that has been labeled as being feminine
   Still, on Pink Shirt Day, February 29, 2012 more than 750 supporters throughout Wetaskiwin and region adorned pink t-shirts. The t-shirts were a symbolic and visible method to take a year-round stand against bullying in this community. Interested schools, businesses, organizations and individuals were challenged to show their support for taking a stand against bullying by purchasing and wearing the pink, $10.00 T-shirts. The response was overwhelming. The first shipment sold out very quickly. A second order was placed and almost every one of the 784 t-shirts that were ordered, were sold.

The story behind Pink Shirt Day
   In the fall of 2007, two young men, David Shephard and Travis Price, became aware of a grade 9 student at their Nova Scotia High School who had been bullied for wearing a pink polo shirt to school. Instead of retaliating with violence, these remarkable young men went to their local dollar store and purchased 50 pink shirts and distributed them to their high school friends the next day to wear in a show of solidarity to the young man who was bullied. This simple act of kindness garnered the attention of many and Pink Shirt Day was born. Pink Shirt Day now takes place around the world and in every province in Canada and every state in the United Sates.
Information and forms available on Pink Shirt website.
   Details about the local event can be found on the website www.pinkshirtwetaskiwin.com or www.pinkshirtmillet.com. The site is a useful resource tool for students, parents, teachers, seniors and employees/employers on workplace bullying.
   The website is set up to be interactive. It allows community members to take a stand against bullying in their communities by downloading and printing off a paper pledge form. Single or group photo’s, with the pledge form, can then be emailed off to be uploaded to the website, to promote workshops or courses on bullying on the website.
   Wetaskiwin and Area Pink Shirt Day Coalition members include the Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools, HUB Mental Health Capacity Building Project, Wetaskiwin RCMP Detachment, City of Wetaskiwin, Town of Millet, Boys and Girls Club of Wetaskiwin, and the Peace Hills Lodge.
   If you are interested in taking part in the local area Pink Shirt Day and want to show your support you can register your name, business or school on the Facebook Page – Wetaskiwin Pink Shirt Day. T-shirts can be ordered from the Boys and Girls Club by calling Krystianna at 780-352-4643 ext.38 or Debbie at 780-352-4643 ext.32. The shirts are $10. each.

More Stories:

Griffiths-Scott News Sun burns are appearing and this just shows that summer is on its way. With only a month of school left at Griffiths- Scott, provincial achievement tests are being written and students are studying for final exams. The ...
LIGHTING UP PERFORMANCES The Wetaskiwin Summer Games Committee presented the Wetaskiwin Theatre Society with a cheque for $25,000.00 toward the stage lighting. Russ Aney presented the cheque to Ted Eden with Eldon Roth, Dot Brekke, Dave Dowler and ...
Airport Mysteries Unveiled EIA TOWER (31) The new NAV CANADA Control Tower at EIA offers a wide view of the runways, with paperless state-of-the-art technology. DominiqueVrolyk The Pipestone Flyer Leduc County AB – Disclosed globally via TV broadcasts, ...
DARE to resist drugs and alcohol During the 2012-2013 school year, Cst. Jackie Tessel of the Breton RCMP taught the DARE program at local schools. Approximately 100 students in grade 5/6 at Alder Flats Elementary, Winfield Elementary and Breton Elementary ...
Leduc High School Soccer One of the few sports not recognized by the Alberta Schools Athletic Association (ASAA) is Soccer. Since 1957 when the ASAA was first formed to provide a provincial tournament for basketball the ASAA has added eleven additional ...
Single Mother’s Day Event " Single Mother's Get Free Pampering At Single Mother's Day Event at Lighthouse Church."
What Does Nisku Mean? Most of the names of the communities located in central Alberta were acquired in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. Many of the names came from individuals who first opened up the country as explorers or missionaries or by ...
Mothers Are Worthy Mothers, daughters, and grandmothers from the Warburg area celebrated Mother's Day this year with the annual Mother's Day Shortcake Tea May 11 at the Warburg Cultural Centre. The event was organized by the Warburg Bloomin' ...
Calmar Prairie Players New Hit: The Dangers of VD (Valentines Day) The cast of The Dangers of VD (Valentines Day) from back left to right: Nicole Sullivan as Jacqui Dyck, an overdramatic, boy crazed young lady that just can’t wait to be a grown up; Kelly Ainsworth as Jean Witherspoon, a ...
Possibilities Redefined Spencer West speaks to the students at Ecole Corinthia Park School in Leduc at the first stop on his marathon from Edmonton to Calgary to raise money to bring fresh water to third world countries. Students at Ecole Corinthia ...
Happy Fish Story Volunteers from Wizard Lake Stewardship attaching fish to the fence. A “Stream of Dreams”... The onset of spring’s warm weather melts the winter’s snow, creating streams of water draining from the fields and ditches ...
Palmer..Who? Stephen Palmer recently brought his folksy, one-man guitar extravaganza to St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Thorsby for the 2013 Spring BBQ fundraiser. During the British Invasion of the '60s and '70s, Palmer's band opened ...
From Trails to Highways When the Hudson Bay Company gained a trading monopoly over all land and waterways within the Hudson Bay watershed in 1670 they set out to establish what was the extent of their holdings. To accomplish this feat they first ...
City with Heart The Youth Award of Merit was presented to Mr. Timurlane Cakmak at the 2012 Citizens Of Distinction Banquet. Upon receiving his award Timulane (center) drew a laugh from the crowd by throwing his arm around Mayor Krischke ...
Bath Time Who could resist those eyes! Charlie does not look thrilled about being in the tub for the CLASS fundraising Dog Wash at For Paws over the weekend but if he knew he was helping out other animals that are not being so well ...
Leduc Lions Donate To Community The Leduc Special Olympics organization were thrilled to receive a donation of $1,500.00 from the Lion's Club of Leduc. The Leduc Lion's Club recently gifted the Leduc Boy Scouts with a cheque for $4,000.00 to renovate their ...
Kids + Bikes = Safety If you have a small someone running around your home who is between the ages of 6 and 11 years old, and you are worried their new found freedom on two wheels might be a cause for concern as far as safety goes, then the ...
Flying High At EIA V.P. of Community Development at Edmonton International Airport, Myron Keehn, spoke of the ways that EIA has grown and contributes to the local economy and community. The May Chamber luncheon opened with the information ...
6000 Ladybugs on the Wall Berta Briggs, owner of ARBER GREENHOUSES talks about the 6,000 ladybugs being released that day... -Photo submitted Millet, AB – An icon of this vibrant little town since 1981, ARBER GREENHOUSES recently hosted a Ladybug ...
Wetaskiwin Co-op Returns 1.8 Million to Members On April 25 and 26 Wetaskiwin Co-op members were greeted with the first general cash repayment in many, many years. It started at 9 a.m. Thursday morning at the Wetaskiwin Co-op and concluded on Friday at 5 p.m. at the ...