A new mural is bursting forth with colour from the side of Belmont secondary school, a symbol of unity among students and a promise to end bullying and discrimination.

Organized by the schoolB次元官网网址檚 Gay Straight Alliance, the Rainbow Mural is made up of the painted handprints of about 1,000 student and staff at the school.

Those who left their handprint on the mural are also taking a pledge, written at the bottom, to treat each other with kindness and speak up when they see bullying taking place.

B次元官网网址淭he hands symbolize the helping hand you give someone,B次元官网网址� said Grade 12 student Cassidy Kennedy on Wednesday, the International Day of Pink. B次元官网网址淵ou donB次元官网网址檛 know whose handprint it is but you know that theyB次元官网网址檙e there. ThatB次元官网网址檚 a really strong message weB次元官网网址檙e hoping to get to everyone.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淓specially students who are being bullied,B次元官网网址� said recent Belmont alumni Justin Jordan, who penned the pledge.

B次元官网网址淪o they actually look up to it and know that itB次元官网网址檚 not just counsellors and adults who are there for them, but the actual student body as well.B次元官网网址�

The students say experience with bullying in their pasts and seeing others struggling with it drove their desire to complete the project. While the amount of bullying they see at Belmont is minimal, the students say thatB次元官网网址檚 partly because most of it has gone online.

B次元官网网址淚 want to make sure no kid has to go through what I went through,B次元官网网址� said Ashliegh Burton, Grade 12.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 easier to hide your face rather than saying it to someoneB次元官网网址檚 face. B次元官网网址� ItB次元官网网址檚 just easier to hide behind a computer,B次元官网网址� Kennedy said.

Over a year in the making, the Rainbow Mural made its debut on the north wall of the school at a school event Wednesday afternoon featuring a barbecue and music from local band NorthTown.

The mural is on sheets of plywood so it can be removed and spared once the current Belmont secondary is torn down.

The students involved hope it can be put up at the new Belmont when itB次元官网网址檚 complete, but that has yet to be confirmed.

Students and staff timed the revealing of the mural to coincide with the Day of Pink, a movement which promotes the wearing of pink clothing as a representation of the denouncement of bullying and discrimination.

kwells@goldstreamgazette.com