In the words of Raktivist, “Kindness is free to give, but priceless to receive.” This year, Mrs. Kertoy’s United Spartans are bringing “Unity Day” to Hempfield Area High School. After contacted by Mrs. Cieselski at West Point Elementary, the club is excited to join together with several elementary schools to promote kindness throughout our district. Mrs. Kertoy felt this great cause directly tied in with the mission of United Spartans.
She announces to all that, “We will be doing an Orange out day on October 16, 2024.” United Spartans plans to create a bulletin board outside of guidance with information about unity and anti-bullying. The day will also include an Eat’n Park cookie give away. They will also be creating a video to share with the elementary schools for their Unity Day Events.
Ultimately, her hope is that all students feel included in events, in discussions, and at lunch. One of their main objectives that she expresses is to make sure no one ever has to sit alone.
Bullying can be alienating and extremely harmful. More people face it than we realize. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, one out of every five (20.2%) students report being bullied. People are most often bullied due to physical appearance, race/ethnicity, gender, disability, religion, or sexual orientation. Moreover, according to the United Educators Association, bullying suicide statistics show that about 77% of students have admitted to being the victim of one type of bullying or another. There are reportedly about 15 to 25 incidents of bullying suicide statistics each year. However, there may be substantially more than that.
There is no doubt that this is an extremely serious issue. The world could be a better place if everyone would just be kind. So, this Unity Day remember the strength that one’s words, actions, and attitude have on others. Don’t forget to wear your Orange and to exude Amy Leigh Mercree’s words, “kindness can transform someone’s dark moment with a blaze of light. You’ll never know how much your caring matters. Make a difference for another day.” Let us all try our best to make Unity Day everyday.
Click HERE to view the Unity Day official site with lots of good information.
