More than 500 students from eight schools filled the gym at LeRoy School for its Pink Day celebration on Thursday.

It’s been in the works since the start of the school year, co-presidents Matthew McGrath and Wyatt Panter said.

“A lot of hard work was put into it and hopefully it goes over well,” Panter said.

The day featured two speakers as well as songs and skits performed by students.

“We know bullying affects a lot of people around the world, and no one likes bullying, so it’s really important to get the message across,” McGrath said.

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Students take their seats for Pink Day

Educational assistant Alicia Richels said LeRoy students have been passionate about the issue, and the school is pretty much a bully-free zone.

One of the speakers, Wali Shah of Toronto, does talks and workshops on mental health and bullying. This is his second trip to Saskatchewan, having visited Shellbrook last year.

He talks about different experiences he had in high school - challenges, breakups, being bullied and being a bully himself, the feeling of wanting to fit in and the struggle of peer pressure. He didn’t have a lot of people discuss those issues with him when he was that age, he said.

“So if I can be that older brother figure for some of the kids in the audience today and have conversations about peer pressure or hurting other people’s feelings, or just making sure we’re being respectful and kind, then maybe they'll learn something.”

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Speaker Wali Shah