The girl walked into school with her chin up and a smile on her face because she was wearing her new colorful, striped, sweater with hearts on it. It was a birthday present from her mom that she was beyond proud of. As she began to walk down the hallway, she noticed some of the other girls whispering and pointing toward her. At first she thought they were admiring the new addition to her wardrobe, but as she got closer she could hear laughter and whispering voices saying, “Ew, who wears something like that?” and “I don’t know, but I do know she looks like a five year old.” After hearing what the girls had said, her smile immediately dropped into an embarrassed frown and all confidence left her body. She ran to the bathroom as tears streamed down her face. All she wanted was to take the sweater off and to make the hurt go away. She pulled out her phone and called home to tell her mom that she was sick, the kind of sick where you cannot come out of the bathroom to face the world outside.

Incidents like this happen everyday for boys and girls of all ages, which is why the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence was created. This day says “no” to bullying and encourages students to stand up for each other. It promotes kindness as the solution to the bullying problem. Kindness can make someone’s awful day turn around or prevent someone else from doing something they will forever regret. It is the key to helping humans come together as a whole and provide support and inclusion. Being kind can create new friendships, memories, and comfort while making both individuals involved feel good about themselves. Many schools across the world participate in this national day and while our school, Springville High School, does not have specific ways to participate, you can still be included. If you simply complement someone’s hair, shoes, or personality you will be surprised at how those small words, that seem unimportant, can affect a person.