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Unity Day: School Districts Target Bullying Prevention

Classrooms across the country were filled with students and staff dressed in orange yesterday. But it had nothing to do with Halloween.

As National Bullying Prevention Month comes to a close, schools across the country celebrated Unity Day—a national event in support of bullying prevention.

Organized by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, the day was established as an opportunity for students, staff, and community members to spread messages of kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Students and staff wore orange to school as a symbol of support and unity.

If you were following the hashtag #UnityDay2017, you saw the creative ways districts showed their support for bullying victims and renewed their commitment to eradicating bullying in their schools.

Here are a few districts that caught our attention.

1. Richmond Public Schools’ staff shows support for students

As we noted earlier this week, more and more school districts are targeting adults in their efforts to curb bullying.

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Bullying can often leave students feeling isolated. And, when adults don’t appear to understand or empathize, a student’s sense of helplessness only grows stronger.

At Richmond Public Schools (RPS) in Virginia, school leaders and staff members used Unity Day to show strong support for their students. Teachers, administrators, and even the district’s interim superintendent wore orange and posed for pictures to prove that they stood with students in the fight against harassment and bullying.

 

 

 

2. Hays Consolidated Independent School District says “No bullying”

The students from Science Hall Elementary School at Hays Consolidated Independent School District (HCISD) in Texas had a simple, clear message for Unity Day: “No Bullying.”

In a video shared on the district’s Facebook page, the students wore their orange proudly and spoke in one voice.

But those elementary school students weren’t alone in their support of Unity Day. The district posted dozens of pictures showing staff members and students from elementary school to high school wearing orange. Far from being a solemn event, students and teachers made the day a fun, celebratory occasion.

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3. Wayzata Public Schools builds togetherness

At Wayzata Public Schools (WPS) in Minnesota, teachers used Unity Day to have open discussions and build togetherness among students and staff.

That effort was best symbolized in an art project where elementary students colored paper hands to make the leaves of a tree. At the base of the tree was the Unity Day slogan: “Together against bullying. United for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.”

Students also came together to spell out the word “Unity.” It was yet another fitting symbol of how the district, its staff, and its students embraced the spirit of the day with creativity and excitement.

For more, check out Wayzata’s twitter video:

 

How did your school or district honor Unity Day? Were there other great Unity Day events that we missed? Tell us in the comments.