She may be only 11 years old, but Sally Sherwood knows bullying is wrong.
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And now the St Laurence’s Primary School student has been recognised for designing a poster promoting respect in her school.
The year six student took part in Interrelate’s annual Say No To Bullying poster competition and on March 17 – the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence – she was named the regional winner for Western NSW.
Her design depicted a smiling face made of messages “saying don’t bully in our school”.
“We like participating in no bullying stuff at our school,” Sally said.
“Bullying leads to other things … it’s just not a nice thing to do.”
As part of her prize, Sally went to Sydney for an award ceremony featuring an orchestra, and guest speakers who taught students how to de-escalate a bullying situation. She also received a Faber-Castell prize pack.
St Laurence’s Primary School principal Susan Byrnes said the school community was “immensely proud” of Sally.
“It’s great to see that country kids are getting that recognition and the opportunity to go to Sydney to receive that award,” Ms Byrnes said.
She said the National Day of Action was an important opportunity to start a conversation about bullying early in the school year.
“It’s really important that kids actually know what bullying is,” Ms Byrnes said.
“It’s repeated, it’s targeted and it’s really important that we teach the kids the importance of the bystander … what to do if their being bullied and bullying is not okay.
“It’s really important that we keep the conversation going all year.”
It’s really important that we keep the conversation going all year.
- Susan Byrnes
Interrelate was recently accredited by the Office of the Children's eSafety Commissioner as an approved provider of online safety programs. Its programs on bullying, healthy relationships, puberty and sexuality support more than 40,000 students and families every year.
“The engagement of children in this conversation and education awareness gives us confidence that we can combat the rise of bullying and help children develop healthy relationships into their adulthood,” Interrelate CEO Patricia Occelli said.
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.