By Carrissa Peach
student@northernlife.ca

Students and staff from Lasalle Secondary School broke into dance alongside members of OPSEU, Child and Family Centre, Children's Community Network and Children's Aid Society Feb. 23, to draw attention to bullying.

The flash mob dance took place at centre court at the Rainbow Centre at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 23 is “pink shirt day,” which encourages people to wear pink shirts to speak out against bullying.

Plainly dressed students began dancing to the song Dirty Bit by the Black Eyed Peas. During the dance, some of the dancers pulled off, unzipped or unbuttoned sweaters, hoodies and shirts to reveal pink shirts.

The shirts all read “Bullying Stops Here!”

Lindsay Henderson, a Grade 12 student and student council president at Lasalle, took part in the dance.

“I feel like bullying is actually a very big issue,” she said. “Someone has to stand up (against) it. The more people, the better chances we have.”

Camille Dupuis, a teacher at Lasalle, helped co-ordinate the dance.

“Too many students are bullied based on appearance, based on beliefs,” she said. “Sadly, there are a lot of students who are not only harmed physically but there have been deaths as a result of bullying.”

Dupuis said she believed schools should be a place where kids feel safe and able to hang out with friends without worrying about being excluded.

After the dancers wound down, guest speakers spoke out against bullying. The event ended with participants chanting “bullying stops now.”

For more information about Pink Shirt Day, visit www.pinkshirtday.ca.

Carrissa Peach is a Lasalle Secondary student interning at Northern Life.