According to the Ottawa Bully Prevention Program, “bullying occurs once every 7 minutes. Bullying frequently goes unreported.” Today, students at Dr. Losier Middle School had the opportunity to listen to Travis Price, a young man who is trying to change this horrible reality. Travis Price is the co-founder of Pink Shirt Day. It all began when Travis heard about a new student in his school that was teased- all because he wore a pink t-shirt.  Travis and his friend decided that this was too much.  So that very evening, they went to a local thrift store and bought any shirt that was pink. The next day they distributed pink shirts to students to wear.  This action sent a clear message to the bully and thankfully the bullying stopped. That was five years ago. Presently, schools across Canada celebrate this day. Dr. Losier students heard a powerful talk about the effects of bullying. Having been a victim of bullying himself through grades one to twelve, Travis gave many real examples of serious and life threatening incidents that he had overcome. His message was also encouraging as he shared what not to do when dealing with a bully as well as strategies on how to deal with a bully. The recurring theme was to report an incident to a teacher or parent so the victim wasn’t alone and could get help.  Unfortunately, there were heartbreaking moments, too, when he shared about some friends that didn’t seek help and gave up hope.   The moment that stands out most clearly in my mind, is how Travis suggested that we can all play a part in stopping bullying.   “I had transferred yet again to another school as a result of a bullying problem. The first day was going well until a few boys teased me about how I was “run out” of his last school. They wondered what they could do to make me leave and began calling me names.  One student heard this and went over and told them to shut-up. The bullying ended right there. I don’t know why she came over. No one had done that for me before, but it worked. It only took a few seconds!” Travis explained.  I agree with Travis Price. Together, we can speak up and demand that each others’ rights are respected. We can take a moment to be kind to one another.  Let’s make the bullying statistics quoted above HISTORY!    --Thoughts by Tanya Frost