Harrison student wins friendship award

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This article was published 18/12/2023 (1043 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A student in Brandon has been recognized for her kindness towards all her peers. Cora McBeth, a Grade 7 student at École Harrison received the Samantha Mason Friendship award from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Winnipeg last month.

McBeth was one of a small handful of students from around Manitoba who were chosen to receive the award from the Bombers. She was invited with her family to accept the award at a Bombers game in early November. She was recognized and presented with a plaque and a jersey on the Bombers’ home turf at IG Field.

The Samantha Mason Friendship award was created in memory of Mason, who was a victim of school bullying and died as a result in 2015. The award recognizes students who stand up to bullying, changes the way peers are treated in person and on-line and promotes friendship and inclusivity.

McBeth was nominated by two École Harrison teachers, who immediately thought she fit the criteria.

“(Teachers) got an email about the Samantha Mason award asking, ‘Is there anybody that stands up to bullying and makes sure that if anything goes wrong, they speak up?’ And Cora was the first person that came to both mine and (Brady) Skinner’s minds. So once there was two of us that had the same person pop in our minds, we figured, well, there must be enough evidence that shows that she does stand up to bullying and promotes strong friendships,” said Jolan Warrener, who teaches Grade 7 and 8 at Harrison.

Warrener said he and Grade 6 teacher Brady Skinner felt McBeth was very deserving after not only observing her behaviour towards her peers in class, but out of class as well, adding she is quick to notice someone in need.

“If she feels like somebody’s been wronged in some form, she’ll find a trusted adult to share that something’s wrong. And it’s always done in a respectful way, not a ‘telling on anybody’ way. It’s always more like, ‘I don’t want anybody in trouble. But this is what I’ve noticed.’ As opposed to just burying it and hoping it goes away,” Warrener said. “If she sees something that is wrong, she says something. That’s kind of the biggest thing that stood out for me.”

McBeth said she wasn’t aware her teachers nominated her and thought she was in trouble when her parents called her down from her room to tell her.

“I asked them, ‘Am I in trouble?’ They said, ‘No, it’s really good. You won an award! You won the Samantha Mason award for stopping bullying!’ And I burst into tears for being proud of myself, and how I treated other students,’” McBeth said.

McBeth said she makes it her daily mission to never leave anyone out.

“If I see someone that is being left out, I will always go up to them and tell them, ‘Hey, you can come with us,’ because I know what it’s like to not be included. It’s not a good feeling when you feel left out. I like it when I’m not left out. And it’s better to bring people with you, instead of leaving them behind,” McBeth said. “(At school) one of my friends came up to me and gave me a really big hug saying how she was proud of who I was and how inclusive I am when it comes to sports. And if I need partners, I’m always trying to pick a different partner.”

Inclusivity and kindness are something they try to teach starting at Kindergarten, Warrener said, but for McBeth, it’s natural.

“We always encourage inclusivity. I know when I’m outside, we always say you can never turn somebody away who’d like to play with you — find a way to include them. And that starts right at Kindergarten. But I think a lot of it is intrinsic with her. Not everybody is super inclusive. Not everybody’s super open to playing with everybody, or getting in trouble from a friend if you tell an adult about something going on, or being teased if you include the kid that maybe doesn’t have as many friends. That’s hard for kids to do that. We try to teach it. And we try to encourage it. But it’s easier said than done, I think, for a lot of people,” Warrener said.

» khenderson@brandonsun.com