![Junior Diya Arun stares out a window. For Arun, the winter season brings out the holiday blues. “ I think [the winter] has a negative effect on my mental health because I feel like the cold weather and people around me are also sadder [and] that affects me,” Arun said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_8047-1200x800.jpg)
![French teacher Marieme Toure serves a plate of the Senegalese food she prepared for her AP French Language and Culture class, to senior Faiza Syed. “I never had Senegalese food before,” Syed said. “I thought it was so cool that she was able to bring a part of her culture [and] background to us.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0798-1200x906.jpeg)
![The Phoenix varsity volleyball team lines up for the national anthem. “We were more communicative [with each other] during this game, and I feel like we kept our energy up, especially after the first set,” senior Jessica Valdov said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0202-1200x800.jpg)
On Oct. 18, the United States celebrated Unity Day. Founded by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, it is celebrated every year on the third Wednesday of October. The goal of the day is to pledge to end bullying by wearing orange.
Unity Day started as Anti-Bullying Day in Canada in 2007. People wore a pink, blue, or purple shirt on Feb. 27 to stand against bullying. As the years went on, more and more celebrities, such as Ellen DeGeneres and Anderson Cooper, wore orange on Unity Day on their shows to promote it, according to the PACER official website. It made the day more popular across the country and resulted in increased awareness of bullying.
The counseling staff carried out the responsibility of informing students about Unity Day and wearing orange in support of preventing bullying. School counselor Jennifer Domingues made sure the news about the day was in Principal John Duellman’s email announcements, the morning news, told during advisory, and informed the teachers to tell their students during class.
Domingues is very passionate about Unity Day because of her own experience watching others getting bullied. She believes that school is supposed to be an educational, fun place and that no one has the right to bully anyone else for any reason. As one of the school counselors, it does affect her if she finds out about someone getting bullied. She believes that the day will help us be better citizens in our communities.
“We want everyone to be respected and feel like they’re a part of our school,” Domingues said. “You guys are here for so many hours each day, so if that time is spent getting bullied, that is not going to feel good.”
Senior Naolee Makonnen supports Unity Day and wanted to dress up in orange, but did not own any. Still, she was a champion for the causes of the day. “Bullying concerns me because it is a painful experience that can break someone’s confidence,” Makonnen said. “I firmly disagree with it and believe everyone deserves respect and kindness.” She believes that the cause is important and would hate to see someone getting bullied.
