If anyone stepped into Humboldt Public School (HPS) last week, there’s a good chance he or she would have seen a lot of people wearing pink. If that person had walked into the school’s common area, they would have seen the ever-increasing number of sticky notes blotting out a window. They may not have realized that all of it was part of a week-long project celebrating the International Day of Pink.
“Each teacher was given a pack of sticky notes so when a student does an act of kindness, they write it down on a sticky and put it on the window,” said Robyn Moore, one of the staff advisors for the Student Leadership Club responsible for the project. “Most kids know the meaning behind the Day of Pink. By doing this, kids can remember to be kind for more than just one day. Hopefully, it’ll carry on for the rest of the year.”
Although HPS was celebrating this event for the week, the actual day is designated as April 8. The day originated in Nova Scotia when two students saw another student being bullied for wearing pink. To show their support and disapproval of the bullying, they went out and purchased pink shirts. Over the course of the following few days, they got many other students to wear pink to show their solidarity.
Now, the Day of Pink is celebrated nationwide to show support and prevent homophobia, transphobia, transmisogyny, and all forms of bullying.
In the same vein, Moore said the reason they chose the method of recognizing acts of kindness was to place more focus on the positive side of the day.
“Kids are kind and we want to celebrate that,” she said. “From an education standpoint, we’re now targeting the bystander. If you see something going on, stand up to it.”
Besides the sticky notes, Moore said the leadership club read stories of friendship to the younger classrooms. According to her, the idea is to promote inclusion and making sure everyone is included, whether they’re friends or not.
They also gave classrooms the chance to do something nice for another classroom, such as sneaking in and cleaning it for them or leaving sticky notes on desks with nice messages.
“We want it to make a lasting impression,” said Moore. “It’s about always treating people the way you want to be treated … Be mindful of everyone’s experiences because everyone’s feelings matter.”
