Pink Shirt Day stands up against bullying at public schools

Cory Szyja didn’t hesitate to dress in pink from head to toe on Wednesday.

A 16-year-old Grade 11 student at Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute, Szyja said he supports the anti-bullying initiative, Pink Shirt Day, because it hits close to home.

“When I was younger I was bullied quite a bit, in elementary school in Grade 7 and 8,” the youngster said.

“I really like the idea of anti-bullying movements, so I decided to wear some pink today.”

It’s awareness campaigns like Pink Shirt Day that have helped turn the tide, he added.

“I think these have helped a lot. They’ve cleared up a lot of bullying, events like this.”

Szyja wasn’t alone in pink.

Dozens of students stopped by an information booth in the school’s front foyer, where they could purchase pink T-shirts supporting the cause or grab a strip of ribbon or a sticker to show their support.

Tom Colquhoun was also fully dressed in pink clothes.

The teen said bullying happens at all school levels, from elementary to high school and beyond.

It needs to stop, he said.

“I definitely feel like, in a way, everyone has (been affected by bullying),” Colquhoun said.

“And it’s still happening and mean things are still being said. Even it is meant as a joke, it still shouldn’t be said.

Pink Shirt Day works, he added.

“I definitely think this has a huge impact,” Colquhoun said.

While one day a year might not seem like much time to pay attention to anti-bullying efforts, it’s a message that can stick around for a lifetime.

“I could be like, I know today isn’t Pink Day, but I shouldn’t say these things,” Colquhoun said.

Teacher Alan Koivu said his school, which has at least nine students who self-identify as transgendered, has led the way when it comes to acceptance of others.

“It’s taken very seriously here,” he said.

Pink Shirt Day began in Berwick, N.S. in 2007 when students David Shepherd and Travis Price distributed 50 pink shirts to fellow students after classmate Charles McNeill was bullied for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school that year.

It has since spread to more than two dozen countries around the world.

Each public school in Thunder Bay is holding a Pink Shirt Day event.