By the book
Rotary youth groups gather donations for literacy Page A3
NEWS: Parking poses problem for neighbourhood /A4 ARTS: St. Mary’s ushers in spring series /A11 SPORTS: Snowboard team sees limited action /A13
OAK BAYNEWS Wednesday, February 25, 2015
$30 ~ 3 COURSE DINE AROUND MENU
2228 OAk BAy AvENUE
250 .370 .9008
oakbaynews.com
Oak Bay High Grade 12 students Pascall Morell, back left, Fjolla Shala, Mikayla Russell, Nick Mustafovic, front left, and Spencer Gibson are among the youth sporting pink Feb. 25 to support anti-bullying. Christine van Reeuwyk/News Staff
Police help spread word for Pink Shirt Day Daniel Palmer Black Press
Students across the community will don pink shirts today to battle bullying. Oak Bay Police leaders, Chief Constable Andy Brinton and Deputy Chief Kent Thom, will support the cause participating in a unified National AntiBullying Pink Shirt Day event at Reynolds secondary school in Saanich. They’ll be alongside Nick Ross, who knows childhood bullying isn’t what it used to be, as social media, anonymous apps and other tools make it difficult for many parents and teachers to keep up, let alone take action. But as the Saanich Police Department’s
school liaison supervisor, Ross is literally paid to keep up with the latest technology and lingo, so he can stay ahead of the bullying curve. “When someone was having trouble at school, they used to go home and it may not start until the next day. But with online stuff, they can go home, log into their computer, check an app and suddenly, there’s 10 more messages that are targeting them,” Ross said. “It’s really taken away that safe haven and the impact is so much more widespread.” Ross and his fellow officers are donning appropriate attire today for the annual Pink Shirt Day, an anti-bullying initiative that began in Nova Scotia in 2007 and has since spread to more than 25 countries.
A big piece of Saanich PD’s fight against bullying in schools are the WITS programs, national anti-bullying education campaign that began in 1993 at Esquimalt’s Lampson elementary. The acronym stands for Walk away, Ignore, Talk it out, Seek help. “We’re trying to get everybody to use a common language, and to understand that getting help is normative. And that includes educating adults to not say, ‘You’re tattling, that’s wrong,’” said University of Victoria psychologist Bonnie Leadbeater, WITS Programs principal investigator. Today, the kindergarten to Grade 6 programs have spread to more than 600 schools across Canada and the U.S.,
with a unique model that pairs online resources with learning plans and books. “WITS is totally online. We’ve identified about 50 books that deal with peer conflicts, and most of them are in school libraries at this point. Teachers then use a lesson plan to connect those books to the program,” Leadbeater said. The partnership with local police agencies and the RCMP is what makes the program so successful, she said. Police teach the WITS basics then “deputize” kids to uphold the values as they go through their day. PLEASE SEE: Program offers cyberbullying resources, Page A4
SOLD
Cordova Bay Executive Home 5092 Clutest St. $1,089,000 MLS 345184
RE/MAX Camosun
Uplands Estate with Pool 3095 Devon St. $1,495,000 MLS 345317
250.220.5061
Estate-Size Lot in South Oak Bay 754 Mountjoy Ave. $889,000 MLS 345020
www.preferredhomes.ca
Guy
Scott
Karl