Pink Shirt Day began more than a decade ago as a campaign to bring awareness around bullying. In Burnaby Schools, we value kindness every day of the year, and appreciate the opportunity to spark additional conversation about caring behaviour on Pink Shirt Day. This year, our students led by example in a variety of ways and in many places throughout Burnaby.
- Watch students from Stoney Creek Community School, Lyndhurst Elementary and Cameron Elementary bring happiness to mall-goers, as reported on Global TV News at 6, with a flash mob dance at Lougheed Mall. Watch it here.
- Grades 6 and 7 Leadership students from seven elementary schools spread kindness at Metropolis at Metrotown (Maywood Community School, Windsor Elementary, Edmonds Community School, Lochdale Community School, Gilmore Community School, Second Street Community School, and Montecito Elementary). They gave out handwritten notes and small gifts to shoppers, and created a magnificent rainbow display made up of colourful poster board messages enjoyed by hundreds of onlookers and shared widely on social media. Watch the video.
- South Slope Elementary students gifted stuffed animals to their neighbours at BC School for the Deaf. Watch the video.
- There were also many activities going on within our schools: everything from assemblies – featuring music with powerful messages about celebrating our differences – to discussions, random acts of kindness, creative messaging in the form of art, and even week-long activities with a different focus each day.
Our commitment goes beyond Pink Shirt Day.
- Read the Commentary in The Georgia Straight by our Burnaby Board of Education Chair, Gary Wong.
- We have two rainbow crosswalks, with two more in the works, greeting students at our secondary schools. They serve as powerful symbols of our commitment to celebrating diversity.
- Consistent with our Code of Conduct, and policies around inclusion, we support anti-bullying initiatives, kindness, and have a long history of celebrating diversity.
- Students talk about and engage in acts of kindness throughout the year. Watch a video of Gilmore Community School students at work.
When students feel welcome, supported, represented, and safe, they are more engaged in learning. Diversity is a part of the fabric of who we are both in our classrooms and in our communities. The strength in our differences and the richness of what makes us unique is celebrated in our schools every day.
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Posted February 2019
