SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Range Lake MLA Daryl Dolynny says that bullying must be talked about. Perhaps it was this sentiment that landed him magenta-clad in front of a gym-full of students, telling them a story he says he had never shared before in honour of Pink Shirt Day.
Grade 4 students Brooke Vallis, left, Sophie O'Connor, Ava Lizotte, Makenna Robbiard, and Lily Newberry are pretty in pink to celebrate friendship at Pink Shirt Day. - Meagan Leonard/ NNSL photo |
Dolynny was at Range Lake North School last Wednesday to celebrate friendship and share his own experiences with bullying both as a taunter and victim.
Dolynny admitted he had picked on a girl named Susanne in his Grade 5 class, never thinking he would be on the receiving end.
"In Grade 6, I became bullied. It's hard to believe but I wasn't always this big," he told the students. "All of a sudden people didn't like what I was wearing or what I was saying even my friends."
He said shortly after that he found a note on his desk.
"It said, 'don't worry, things will get better,' it was from Susanne," he said.
"To this day I still have it even today when things aren't going my way I look at that note."
After the assembly, Dolynny told News/North attending events like Pink Shirt Day help give tangible meaning to what he is working on in the legislature.
"That was the first time I shared that story," he said. "You need these reminders of why you do the job you do and this gives me energy to keep going and keep pushing agendas forward."
He added, while awareness events are important, action needs to be taken against bullying every day and expand beyond school walls.
"Bullying is 365 days a year. It has no time period and it's outside the school limits," he explained. "This is an opportunity for the kids to see that bullying is all around us and if we don't talk about it, if we don't find ways to reach out for help Š then we're never going to get a handle on bullying."
Tuccaro tells
Commissioner of the Northwest Territories George Tuccaro also stopped by the school to perform a song called Imagine a World with No Bullying. For him, he says, bullying is something that hits close to home.
"There was a young girl in Fort Chipewyan who ended her life because of bullying and I wanted to be that little girl's voice," he said, adding he was impressed by the Range Lake students' creativity and eagerness to participate.
"They're such important little kids and they're so thoughtful," he said. "It's always so nice to see them perform and see them get up in front of a microphone because it's not easy."
Leading up to Pink Shirt Day Feb. 25, principal Courtney Lizotte said at the beginning of the month each class was asked to think about what a safe and caring school environment would look like. Instead of focussing on bullying, the students decided to highlight friendship.
Some classes spoke to the qualities that make a best friend, others created artwork and one group choreographed a dance. Lizotte says the whole idea is to encourage students to be proactive and promote positive behaviour.
"Our thing is to be proactive when it comes to bullying, so if you have a good friend and know how to be a good friend then there isn't a need for bullying," she explained. "They really like taking ownership and showing off their school."
Lizotte says the hardest thing for teachers is verbal harassment, which can often fly under the radar.
"It's the stuff you don't see that's the hardest, it's the stuff (like) the quiet whispers," she explained. "It can be really sneaky."
Ultimately she says they are continuing to work on emphasizing an open door policy so students feel comfortable reaching out for help.
"We try to just build a community here and the kids really are the owners of the community it's their school," she said. "We want everyone to know that school is a happy place and that they feel safe coming every day."
Pink Shirt Day was started by two Nova Scotia high school students who wanted to take a stand against bullying. On Feb. 25, participants wear pink as a sign they are part of the fight to end bullying in schools, the community and online.
