LAPS is celebrating Unity Day Wednesday, Oct. 20 to raise awareness and prevent bullying in the schools and community by promoting kindness, acceptance and inclusion. Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS News:
Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS) continues to celebrate Unity Day every year as one way to raise awareness and prevent bullying in the schools and community by promoting kindness, acceptance and inclusion.
Founded in 2006 by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, this campaign is held during the month of October and connects communities around the world.
“Unity Day reminds us to celebrate how we are each unique and we are all connected. It encourages us to recognize that each person has strengths to contribute. Unity Day emphasizes honoring differences and reaching out with kindness and understanding,” LAPS Healthy Schools Director Kristine Coblentz said.
Unity Day is Wednesday, Oct. 20 and everyone is encouraged to wear and share orange to visibly support the belief that no child should ever experience bullying.
More than 1 out of every 5 students report being bullied, according to the National Bullying Prevention Center. This past year, a worldwide pandemic and a growing movement for racial equity and social justice have highlighted the need to unite communities for a better future. It is more important than ever to join together in creating a world that is kinder, more accepting, and more inclusive.
At LAPS, teachers and school counselors lead classroom lessons to help students learn and practice what kindness, acceptance and inclusion look like. In partnership with student clubs, they sponsor activities to build school community throughout the year.
Some examples include Start with Hello Week, the Great Kindness Challenge, Heart Attack, and school spirit weeks. If students experience bullying, they are encouraged to tell a trusted adult or report through either the district’s website or, for secondary students, through the See Something, Say Something Anonymous Reporting app.
LAPS Prevention Specialist Brandi Seekins adds, “On Unity Day and every day, we each have an opportunity to reach out in kindness. This year we encourage everyone to take a moment to write a note of specific appreciation to someone in the community: a teacher, a neighbor, the mail delivery person, a store clerk, a coach … anyone whose kind acts may frequently go unnoticed.”
To learn more about National Bullying Prevention Month, go to PACER.org/Bullying.