Ohlone students work together on Unity Day
October is National Bullying Awareness Month, and on October 23, students in Palo Alto Unified School District participated in national Unity Day to show appreciation for diversity and emphasize respect. Unity Day is an effort that began in 2006 and is coordinated by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, a nonprofit organization that provides innovative resources for students, parents, and educators to build awareness that bullying is a serious community issue that impacts students’ education, physical and emotional health, and safety.
Each PAUSD school engaged in different activities to help students learn to appreciate each others’ unique skills and qualities and learn to look out for each other both in the classroom and in social situations. The color of Unity Day is orange, so many students wore orange to school on October 23 to show their support for this effort to end bullying.
National Unity Day was also recognized by Palo Alto City Council and and many Council members came out to PAUSD schools to share in the activities, ranging from paper chains with affirmation statements to big posters where students could write ideas for how they support each other and spread kindness. As Superintendent Max McGee said in a press release from PAUSD, “By engaging our students in awareness activities at school and welcoming parents and our community to be part of Unity Day, we empower everyone and build a united voice of respect.”
As these photos reveal, the students of Palo Alto stood together in many unique and wonderful ways to show their unity against bullying, and we hope these positive messages will resonate throughout the year.
All photos by Tabitha Kappeler Hurley and courtesy of Palo Alto Unified School District.
