by Sylene Argent
Photos submitted.
As a way to bring the school community together, and teach students the importance of standing up against bullying, a “We All Belong” day at Colchester North Public School was hosted last Friday.
Lori Ducharme, a Kindergarten Teacher at Colchester North Public School, submitted an application for a “We Belong” grant through the Greater Essex County District School Board. Her successful application earned the school a $300 grant to address the topic.
“We belong and anti-bullying are pretty important topics we wanted to address for the kids,” Ducharme said, adding the local school used the funding to purchase more anti-bullying books, in addition to getting the materials necessary to make anti-bullying t-shirts for all the staff at Colchester North that stated, “We all belong at Colchester North Public School.”
On Friday, staff members wore their specially-made t-shirts and started their day with reading the books they purchased through the grants. After that, each class hosted age-appropriate activities to further explore the inclusion topics. Some of the younger classes made paper donuts that included words about kindness and making others feel like they belong.
Some of the older students participated in a slideshow presentation on being an “upstander” and not a “bystander,” which includes standing up for others. Some students took the anti-bullying pledge in an effort to show they recognize what bullying looks like and try to make school an inclusive experience for everyone.
All the students were asked to wear pink that day to go along with the anti-bullying theme.
“It was a nice day,” Ducharme said. “It has been a difficult year, so it was nice to have a day where everyone was doing the same thing at same time, even though they were in their own classrooms. It creates a sense of community and belonging.”