By Tanya Cronin

Kamloops students stand up against bullying

Feb 24, 2016 | 3:44 PM

KAMLOOPS — The gymnasium at Valleyview Secondary transformed into a sea of pink today. Hundreds of students joining tens of thousands right across the country, in an anti-bullying movement. 

“Especially in high school when everyone is kind of going through this time, you really want to promote kindness and make everyone feel as good as they can, just make the school come together and just feel like one,” says Laura Shouldice, Valleyview Secondary Grade 11 student.

All dressed in pink, students in the Kamloops-Thompson School District are standing up against bullying. At Valleyview Secondary, there’s no shortage of spirit. Students put together a pledge wall and had their peers share personal stories about themselves, in an effort to connect to one another.
    
“We really try and help each other out, we’re like a little community, so if one person’s feeling down, we really go and try and help them, help create a sense of happiness and kindess here,” says Andrea Simmons, Valleyview Secondary Grade 12 student.

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It can be anything from intimidation to harassment and violence. And in today’s society, cyberbullying is becoming more and more prevelent. Kids are targeted by text messages and on the internet, through social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

“Nobody really sees it happen, but of course it’s still a problem, I think just doing little things like this helps everyone feel less vulnerable and it’s just a fun day,” says Jaxson Reid, Valleyview Secondary Grade 11 student.

It’s stories like that of Amanda Todd, the Port Coquitlam teen took her own life after posting a video online detailing physical assault and years of being tormented by bullies. And one year later, in April 2013 17 year old Rehtaeh Parsons committed suicide at her home in Nova Scotia, sexual humiliation and bullyin, just too much for her to deal with. 

“We have elements through digital, through social media and we have to have supports in place, and have people educated to it, and for kids to know what are the expectations and if there are issues and that, who are the people you can see,” says Walt Kirschner, Principal of Valleyview Secondary School.

School District 73 boasts close to 80 programs dealing with bullying and harassment. It also has a strict anti-bullying policy in place that applies to everyone, including school staff. The focus is to teach positivity and encourage bullying victims and bystanders to report it. 

“I think there’s been an increase in people saying that’s the wrong thing to say or do, stop it, or come and report it if they can’t confront that issue right now. We’ve seen that in the workplace, we’ve seen that in schools and I think we’ve seen that in society,” says Bill Hamblett, Assistant Superintendent of Student Support Services for School District 73.
         
As students take a stand by putting on pink, the idea is to take today’s message beyond just symbolism, because the effects of bullying can last a lifetime. 

“We have a lot of spirit, so this is really great to see everyone coming together and showing their kindess and putting a good step forward,” says Simmons.