'Don't Be Mean': Orange-Clad Wantagh Students Stamp Out Bullying

WANTAGH, NY — Orange-clad Wantagh students celebrated Unity Day last week, a national program meant to raise awareness about the harmful effects of bullying and to encourage students to unite for kindness, acceptance and inclusion.

At Wantagh High School, members of the Miss Wantagh Committee, who sponsored the high school event, urged peers to sign a massive orange poster, pledging to stomp out bullying and cultivate an atmosphere of kindness, free of judgment and criticism.

The district’s elementary schools also took the opportunity to host individual activities and to discuss how to deter bullying and promote kindness and inclusion.

At Mandalay Elementary School, students decorated and wrote a Unity Day message on a magnetized, paper puzzle piece. The pieces were then connected to form a bulletin board which reminded the students that, like a puzzle piece, they are individually unique but together complete. Their Unity Day creation is on display in the lobby and reminds students about their dedication to a gentler school atmosphere.

Below is a photo roundup of the event.