WHEN it comes to schoolyard bullying Southern Cross Catholic College, Scarborough, has a zero tolerance policy that it is proud to showcase.
A sea of orange engulfed the college on Friday, March 16, as staff and students showed their support for the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence.
The colour theme for the campaign was orange and more than 800 students and staff wore orange T-shirts to highlight their support of the anti-bullying awareness campaign.
SCCC captains Brittney Govender and Ravneel Sharma organised the day to highlight the college’s inclusive environment and to remind students that bullying in any form was not tolerated.
They said SCCC recognised the importance of such an event not just on the day itself, but also for the message to be echoed every day of the year.
“It would be naïve to say bullying does not happen at our school, but we wanted every student to be reminded that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter what our differences are,” Brittney said.
Ravneel said the fact both students and staff participated in activities on the day showed the college was united in its goal to work out solutions to bullying issues.
“Our college community provides a supportive environment for students and, with the staff wearing orange as well, it felt we are all on the same page working towards an environment that was free from bullying and harassment,” Rav said.
They said that, thanks to sponsorship, orange shirts were exchanged for a gold-coin donation, with more than $900 going to Caritas and Project Compassion.