Students and staff at Kalani High School wore orange on Wednesday, Oct. 22, to celebrate Unity Day, an annual event that promotes kindness, inclusion, and togetherness across schools worldwide. Organized by the Kalani Association of Students (KAS) under President Abby Nii (12), the event aimed to remind students that they are part of one supportive community.
According to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, Unity Day is typically recognized on the third Wednesday of October during National Bullying Prevention Month. It encourages schools to unite against bullying by wearing orange as a visible symbol of kindness and acceptance. Despite setbacks in participation this year, Kalani’s leadership team continued the tradition of strengthening the message of unity on campus.
“The main purpose of Unity Day is to bring everyone together more,” Nii says. “We try to promote togetherness at our school, so we plan events that bring us closer.”
Although fewer students dressed in orange than expected, the message of inclusion still reached many through email reminders and social media posts. Several students also wore orange wristbands from previous years to show their support. Nii explains that even those who didn’t wear orange could still understand the event’s purpose by seeing their peers participate.
“This day helps notify students that they’re not alone and that they have people who support them,” Nii says.
Planning for the event took less than two hours, according to Nii, with guidance from the KAS advisor, Ms. Akasaki. However, this year’s Unity Day encountered a challenge because the Department of Education, which usually provides wristbands, was unable to distribute them. This left KAS looking for new ways to encourage student involvement.
Having said that, the purpose of Unity Day extends beyond wearing orange; it focuses on reminding students that support and kindness exist within their school community. KAS aimed for every student to feel included, especially those who might feel left out.
“A challenge we faced was ‘How are we going to get people to wear orange?’” Nii says. “Because it’s kind of a weird color to just have in your closet.”
Looking ahead, KAS is already discussing ways to boost participation in next year’s Unity Day. Ideas include bringing back the wristbands, giving out small prizes to students who wear orange, or inviting a guest speaker to talk about inclusion and kindness. While this may have been Nii’s final year organizing Unity Day, she said she’s proud of the visible effort her leadership groups showed and hopes the event continues to grow in future years.
“As a whole, our school is one big family,” Nii explains.
