Poland students raise awareness of bullying prevention through Unity Day
As part of Unity Day on Wednesday, Oct. 19, Poland Central School District students wrote positive messages about the school community on orange pieces of paper and displayed them as paper chains, here forming the word “unity!” in an elementary hallway.
POLAND – More Poland Central School District students are
getting involved in Unity Day each year as the Student Council pushes forward
with the day’s goal of raising awareness about bullying prevention.
For Unity Day on Wednesday, Oct. 19, many students in
prekindergarten through 12th grade wore orange and wrote positive
messages about the school and community on orange pieces of paper that were
used to make paper chains. The chains were arranged to display “unity!” and the
shape of a Poland Tornado on walls in the school hallways.
“I think it’s good to see everyone come together,” Student
Council Vice President P.J. Mahoney said. “I walk into the cafeteria, and
everyone’s wearing orange – you know it means something to them.”
Unity Day was started in 2011 by the National Bullying
Prevention Center of the Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights
Center. Jacqueline LaPlante, a prevention education specialist and student
assistant counselor from the Herkimer County Prevention Council who works at
Poland, brought the idea of participating in Unity Day to the district, and the
Poland Student Council has carried out the event each year starting in October
2014.
Student Council advisor Kevin Ford, a science teacher, said
bullying is a keyword that everyone talks about, and anything like Unity Day
that can educate and comfort students is helpful.
“There are so many kids who want a safe place to go to,” Ford
said. “Any little thing that can be done for them to see that people do care.”
Although Unity Day is just one day per year, Poland Central
School District also participates in the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
with events and awareness emphasized throughout the school year – such as at
this year’s recent kickoff of the program on Oct. 7, Ford said.
“It all ties in,” he said.
The Olweus kickoff also included the creation of a school
community puzzle. Every classroom in the building and every employee unit got a
puzzle piece to design. With all the pieces now in place, the puzzle reads
“better together” in the background of the created images.
The completed school community puzzle is now on display on
the wall by the elementary art room – joining the Unity Day displays as part of
the district working to visually display aspects of its attempts to increase
awareness about school culture and climate.
The orange paper chains for Unity Day are part of the day’s
message – with students writing on the chains about the meaning of Unity Day or
what they like about the school and community, Student Council Secretary Shiane
Irwin said.
“I think it will be cool to see all the chains up,” Irwin
said, before all the displays were completed.
The Student Council also promotes the idea of wearing orange
on Unity Day by making announcements and posters leading up the event, Ford
said. He and the student members came up with some additional ideas for Unity
Day that require additional planning, so they’re hoping to implement them for
next year, he said.
This year, the increase in participation was noticeable –
particularly when elementary students were in the cafeteria – seemingly forming
a “sea of orange,” Ford said.
“It’s good to see kids supporting the cause,” he said. “There’s
so many other things they could be wearing that day, and they chose to come in
and wear orange.”
Mahoney, a junior, said he thinks that having high school
Student Council members leading the cause helps motivate younger students to be
involved as well.
“Being younger kids, they see the older kids doing it; it
means a lot to them,” Mahoney said. “They’re looking up to the older kids, and
they see us doing it, so they do it.”
Irwin, a senior, said there weren’t too many students
outside of Student Council members who wore orange on Poland’s first Unity Day
two years ago, but now, she estimates that about half of students wore orange.
"I was happy to see a lot of people participated in it," she said. "There's definitely a lot more kids who are starting to come together to support the cause."
As part of Unity Day on Wednesday, Oct. 19, Poland Central School District students wrote positive messages about the school community on orange pieces of paper and displayed them as paper chains, here forming the word “unity!” in the hallway near the bus circle.
As part of Unity Day on Wednesday, Oct. 19, Poland Central School District students wrote positive messages about the school community on orange pieces of paper and displayed them as paper chains, here forming a Poland Tornado in the hallway near the bus circle.
As part of Unity Day on Wednesday, Oct. 19, Poland Central School District students wrote positive messages about “friends,” “respect,” “trust” and more on orange pieces of paper and displayed them as paper chains in school hallways.
Unity Day at Poland Central School District on Wednesday, Oct. 19, also tied into the recent Olweus Bullying Prevention Program kickoff for the 2016-17 school year, which included the creation of a school community puzzle. Every classroom in the building and every employee unit got a puzzle piece to design. With all the pieces now in place, the puzzle reads “better together” in the background of the created images.