Ardrossan Junior Senior High students post sticky notes on the school’s Gratitude Tee wall in celebration of Pink Shirt Day on February 26.

Sherwood Park, AB. — On February 26, students and staff throughout Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) are donning pink shirts and adopting an attitude of gratitude to celebrate this year’s Pink Shirt Day.

Ardrossan Junior Senior High is focusing on being consistently kind. “It’s one thing to do a nice thing for someone on a particular day,” says Rebecca Gustafson, an assistant principal at the school. “But when you make kindness a part of daily life, that’s when you see the biggest impact. We believe that practicing intentional kindness strengthens friendships, deepens positive relationships, and enhances overall happiness and well-being. That’s where we came up with the acronym CAKE.”

CAKE stands for Consistent Acts of Kindness and Empathy. One activity at Ardrossan Junior Senior High will be CAKE bingo, where students will complete various kind acts, from sharing a smile in the hallway to talking to someone they never have before. They’ll cross off each unique act on a bingo card, handing in a completed card to be entered in a draw for a fun prize.

The school will also have a Gratitude Tee wall for students to post sticky notes with considerate messages—all these notes will form a large t-shirt in recognition of Pink Shirt Day.

Launched in 2007, the Pink Shirt Day 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 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 $3 million for healthy relationship programming across Western Canada.

“February has been a month full of activities surrounding kindness and empathy within our schools,” says Cathy Allen, the Board Chair of EIPS. “It’s incredible to see. One act of kindness can change someone’s entire day for the better, while an act of bullying does the complete opposite. Pink Shirt Day reinforces how important it is for us to build a community of respect, where students, staff and families can feel welcomed, cared for and safe.”

Schools have various activities planned—all focused on spreading kindness, embracing differences, working together and supporting each other. Many schools are taking part in the month-long Random Acts of Kindness challenge. Other activities include assemblies, announcements, presentations, post cards, bulletin-board displays, book readings, lessons plans, gratitude walls and more. EIPS schools also have ongoing projects and initiatives in place, geared toward kindness and building healthy relationships. Some examples include the Seven Sacred Teachings, Random Acts of Kindness, The Fourth R, Bucket Fillers, Leader in Me and various community-service programs.

In addition to wearing pink and participating in school activities, EIPS students and staff are also showing their support for Pink Shirt Day by posting messages about the importance of empathy and kindness on various social media platforms.

Elk Island Public Schools is one of Alberta’s largest school divisions, serving approximately 17,950 students in 42 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.

RELATED INFORMATION:
Pink Shirt Day Alberta
Pink Shirt Day

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