Sherwood Park, AB. —Today, students and staff throughout Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) are taking kindness to new heights by lifting each other up as they celebrate Pink Shirt Day.

Divisionwide, students and staff are participating in Pink Shirt Day, an annual event to promote kindness, healthy relationships and bullying prevention. Launched in 2007, the movement started after two high school students in Nova Scotia witnessed a younger student being bullied for wearing a pink shirt. The next day, they brought 50 pink t-shirts to school and encouraged classmates to wear them as a way to take a stand against bullying. The concept took hold. Today, Pink Shirt Day is celebrated in schools and workplaces countrywide and has raised more than $2.3 million for healthy relationship programming.

“This year’s theme is ‘lift each other up,’ and that’s exactly what students throughout the Division are doing all day,” says Trina Boymook, the Board Chair of EIPS. “What we want is for students to find ways to look beyond their differences and instead celebrate the things that make them unique and unite us as people.”

Throughout EIPS, various activities are planned around this year's theme, including school assemblies, guest-speaker presentations, lessons and more. Additionally, EIPS schools have ongoing projects and initiatives in place geared toward kindness and building healthy relationships in the school and the community. Some examples include the Seven Scared Teachings, Random Acts of Kindness, The Fourth R, Bucketfillers, Leader in Me and various community-service programs.

“Promoting welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning spaces for students year-round is a key priority for EIPS,” says Boymook. “Pink Shirt Day is one of the ways we do this. It’s an opportunity to get students actively involved in thinking about the importance of building positive relationships, kindness and really lifting others up. Collectively, these help create a positive impact on student engagement, school spirit and involvement in programs of this nature.”

In addition to wearing pink and individual school activities, EIPS students and staff are also showing their support for Pink Shirt Day by posting positive and respectful messages on various social media platforms using the hashtag #LiftEachOtherUp. In fact, for every like, comment and share on @pinkshirtday, Swoop Airlines is donating $1 to support anti-bullying programs.

Media, families and community members are invited to attend the following Pink Shirt Day events within EIPS:

Rudolph Hennig Junior High
Date: Feb. 26, 2020
Time: 12:15 p.m.
Location: Rudolph Hennig Junior High, 9512 92 St., Fort Saskatchewan
Students will all come together in one place wearing their pink shirts and participate in a schoolwide Pink Shirt Day photo with messages of kindness.

Sherwood Heights Junior High
Date: Feb. 26, 2020
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Location: Sherwood Heights Junior High; 241 Fir St., Sherwood Park
Teachers will share kindness videos with students, followed by a discussion about the meaning and importance.

A.L. Horton Elementary
Date: Feb. 26, 2020
Time: all-day
Location: A.L. Horton, 5037 48 Ave., Vegreville
Photo Ops:  Presentations will take place throughout the day, focused on kindness. The school is also hosting a Pink Shirt Dance, organized by the school’s Kindness Club.

Elk Island Public Schools is one of Alberta’s largest school divisions, serving approximately 17,400 students in 43 schools. We are proud to be an integral part of our communities, including Sherwood Park, Fort Saskatchewan, Vegreville, Strathcona and Lamont counties and the western portion of the County of Minburn. To learn more visit www.eips.ca.

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For more information contact:
Laura McNabb, Director, Communication Services, EIPS 780-417-8204 cell 780-405-4902