February 6, 2009

District Celebrates Second Annual Harmony Day on February 9, 2009

KELOWNA, BC: On Monday, Feb. 9, School District No. 23 (Central Okanagan) celebrates its second annual Harmony Day.   On this day, many schools will have special activities and assemblies demonstrating the spirit of respect within our increasingly diverse community.   Mayor Sharon Shepherd and Rolli Cacchioni, Chairperson of the Board of Education, will read the Harmony Day Proclamation.  

Harmony Day was established in 2008 at School District No. 23 with input from staff, teachers and students. Internationally, Harmony Day began in Australia in 1999.  At School District No. 23, the goal is to foster an environment in which people of different cultures, ages, ethnicities, and interests can be in harmony.   In such an environment, our students can feel safe and inspired to reach their potential academically and personally. 

“Harmony Day is a perfect opportunity to recommit to our common values of respect, responsibility, honesty, empathy, and fairness and to promote community harmony in an effort to address issues of racism and intolerance,” says Terry Beaudry, Director of Instruction and the District Human Rights Committee.

Leigh-Ann Yanow, a teacher at Anne McClymont Elementary and Co-Chair of the Harmony Day Planning Committee says, “My interest in Harmony Day started from working with the Social Justice committee at my school and my involvement in the Jewish community here in Kelowna.  I’ve enjoyed being part of the effort to put into words and actions the sense of acceptance that we experience every day at our schools.”

Each school has its own creative approach to celebrating this event.  For example, at Springvalley Middle School, students will decorate bags with poems, illustrations, slogans, etc. as part of the Brown Bag Harmony Day Contest.  Students will also create posters and greetings representing the large number of countries where their students and staff were born.

Other schools are planning events for later in the week.  Bankhead Elementary will hold a Harmony Day assembly on Wednesday and Peter Greer Elementary will create a chain of diversity (paper cut-out people bearing special messages and symbols of harmony), hold a ‘Colours of our Country Day’, and on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 8:45 p.m. they will have an assembly with music and cultural performances.

The following are just some of the Harmony Day events happening on Monday, Feb. 9:

Approved by the Superintendent on February 5, 2009

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For comments, please contact:

Terry Beaudry, Director of Instruction, (250) 860-8888

Leigh-Ann Yanow, Co-Chair of the Harmony Day Planning Committee, (250) 764-4122

Mike Roberts, Superintendent of Schools (250) 860-8888

For background information: please contact Lisa Harrison lharriso@sd23.bc.ca or 470-3284.