by Cori Hilsgen
news@thenewsleaders.com
Kennedy Community School students celebrated Unity Day Oct. 24 by working on several school-wide activities to promote anti-bullying behaviors.
Students and staff were encouraged to wear orange to show support for those who have been bullied.
Student Council members read special announcements over the intercom to educate others about bullying and Unity Day.
Individual classrooms worked on activities such as creating posters, reading stories about kindness, coloring bookmarks and color sheets, and decorating doors with anti-bullying messages.
A banner that reads “Kennedy Unites Against Bullies” was signed by students and is displayed in the school cafeteria.
“Unity Day is a great day for our community to come together and show support for each other,” said Anna Willhite, assistant principal.
Unity Day organizer and Kennedy Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Internal Coach Lezlee Bergwall said Unity Day is a holiday that is celebrated at different times for different purposes throughout the world. In our country, it’s celebrated in October and has been observed since 2011 to raise awareness about bullying.
Several Kennedy students commented about the day.
“I don’t like bullying,” said second-grader Madelyn Kuebelbeck. “Unity Day is a day to stand up for people who have been bullied and that’s why I wore some orange today.”
“I choose kindness because bullying is not the right thing to do,” said second-grader Isabelle Hjelm.
“It’s nice we’re all standing together as one against a common issue,” said eighth-grader Sam Kloss.
“Kids shouldn’t bully,” said eighth-grader Gabe Johnson. “It’s not right to put someone else down to make yourself feel better.”
Kennedy Community School second-graders Max Siegel and Faith Petros work on a unity project with hands and hearts and “no bullying” written inside the heart.
Tamara Rivard’s Kennedy Community School first-grade class participates in a “Kids Against Bullying” pledge.
Lezlee Bergwall’s Kennedy Community School second-graders work on anti-bullying papers on Unity Day, Oct. 24.
Kennedy Community School seventh-grader Jamison Penticuff signs an anti-bullying banner for Unity Day.
