Students and teachers of Whanganui High School donned rainbow masks and other accessories to show their support for diversity and inclusion. Photo / Supplied
Students and teachers of Whanganui High School donned rainbow masks and other accessories to show their support for diversity and inclusion. Photo / Supplied
Whanganui High School students came to school in their best rainbow gear on Friday to show support for diversity and inclusion in Whanganui.
Dubbed "Rainbow Day", the occasion saw students dressed in casual clothes with rainbow accessories such as badges, ribbons, scrunchies, bracelets and rainbow-coloured face masks, with many evencoming to school decked out in rainbows from head to toe.
School staff and prefects especially made an effort to show their support for an inclusive school environment, with most seen around school wearing the rainbow face masks all week.
This was one of the event's goals for organiser and community prefect Myles Simpson.
Simpson wanted to put on the event to create a cohesive and inclusive environment at school and to make sure it championed diversity of all kinds.
"Diversity isn't just pride, it's also religion, culture, disability, and I think that we need to show our support to those people because it's important that they are supported and can be themselves," Simpson said.
Rainbow Day was also a culmination of a week centered around inclusion and diversity for WHS, with teachers giving out resources and having students engage in activities based on celebrating what makes people different.
March is a big month for the diverse communities of Whanganui, with Whanganui Pride Week celebrations also happening this week, as well as the Women's Network of Whanganui's La Fiesta showcasing events until March 13, and the observation and celebration of Race Unity Week from March 14.
Rainbow Day was also in support of Pride Whanganui, the organisation behind the celebrations.
Students brought a gold-coin donation, and Simpson and other prefects ran a stall selling other accessories, lollies and education resources, with all the profits going to Pride Whanganui.
Simpson said it was a way to give back to an organisation that had helped them.
"They [Pride Whanganui] actually gave us a lot of resources and all the masks and to show our gratitude we're going to donate all of our profits to them."
Prefects ran a stall selling rainbow accessories, lollies and education resources, with all the profits going to Pride Whanganui. Photo / Supplied
The school's Rainbow Day coincided with Pride's "Wear the rainbow day" where people were encouraged to show their pride by wearing their rainbows across Whanganui.
Pride Whanganui's Christina Emery was pleased the effort to represent diversity was stretching beyond the adult world.
"They've set to rainbow-fying the high school which I think is awesome."
Emery said the efforts of Simpson and fellow student organisers were incredible and would go a long way to showing Whanganui's tamariki of all kinds that they belonged, were supported and had students just like them right alongside them.
"I think it's a real struggle when you're a rangitahi, a young person, to feel like you belong, you fit or to know that there's someone like you in the community," Emery said.
Simpson was pleased with how well the event went over with both students and staff.
"They've all embraced it and they're all looking forward to it which is quite cool."
That enthusiasm was echoed by principal Martin McAllen.
"As always there is a great atmosphere – wonderful encouragement and support," McAllen said.
To cap off the celebrations, Pride Whanganui holds its annual Pride Walk on Saturday, March 5, at 10am and is encouraging Whanganui residents to take their favourite walking route in their loudest and proudest clothes.
