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Pink Shirt Day

Taking care of each other
Shawnigan joined Canadians from coast to coast in taking a stand against bullying on Wednesday’s Pink Shirt Day. The campus was awash with pink as students and staff wore this year’s word shirt – with a bright pink “hope” emblazoned on the chest – together with other pink clothing and accessories in an effort to raise awareness of the negative effects of bullying.

Our fourth Character and Culture x-block of the year was planned to coincide with Pink Shirt Day. The entire School gathered in the Chapel for an impactful session entitled “Taking Care of Each Other.” This theme references a phrase that Mr. Clinton-Baker, Assistant Head – Student Life often emphasizes with the students, and helped to frame our discussion around bullying.

“What I ask today is that you listen wholeheartedly and you take a moment to reflect in front of the mirror as to who you are, who you admire and who you aspire to be,” urged Headmaster Lamont in his opening address. He then turned it over to four senior students, who shared powerful stories of their own experiences with bullying. Their candid accounts of being bullied, seeing others being bullied, feeling the ripple effects of family members being bullied, and in one case, being the bully himself, touched each one of us.

One of the themes that ran throughout each story was the fact that while one person can have a devastatingly negative impact, the inverse of that is also true: the kind words and simple acts of just one person can have an incredibly positive – even life-changing – effect.

Emphasizing that notion, Mr. Clinton-Baker concluded the assembly with a call to recognize, care, and act in our daily interactions with others in our community.

Students went directly to their Houses following the Chapel gathering to carry on the conversation, breaking into small groups to share stories, discuss the negative impacts of bullying, and examine ways to end bullying. 
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We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.