February 26, 2019

In an effort to promote Pink Shirt Day, École catholique Félix-Ricard will host a variety of awareness activities for students that are aimed at helping them stand up to bullying both in and beyond the school environment. The day’s events will also serve to support one of the school’s students, who is ill with cancer. While the Pink Shirt Day is officially February 27, the activities at Félix-Ricard are scheduled for Thursday, February 28. Members of the media are welcome to attend.

First off will be a family lunch, held from 12-noon to 1 p.m. in the school gym to underline the importance of the family in fighting bullying. As we are aware, family support is of prime importance to the well-being and self-esteem of students. A cake sale has also been organized to raise funds for grade 5 Félix-Ricard student Hunter Forget, who has a MedulloBlastoma brain tumour. Hunter was diagnosed with cancer in April 2018. While he is now at home after a two-month stay at Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital, he still needs to travel to the provincial capital for chemotherapy every six weeks.

The first Pink Shirt Day dates back to 2007, when two college students witnessed an act of discrimination against a student wearing a pink t-shirt. The students chose to make a difference by distributing more than 50 pink shirts in an act of solidarity, as a way of fighting discrimination and intimidation. Since that first show of conviction, the event has been held throughout Canada on the last Wednesday of February.

The Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario offers a French Catholic Educational Program that is widely recognized for its excellence. The CSCNO provides a quality learning environment and academic program that runs from early childhood to adult education, with some 7,000 students enrolled in 27 elementary and 10 secondary schools.

Source:
Brigitte Morin
External Relations Coordinator
Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario
705-673-5626, ext. 389
705-690-9740 (cell)