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AUgUST 20
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BE CALM. BE KIND. BE SAFE.
PoCo student sends messages of hope with painted rocks 13-year-old hopes to spread Dr. Henry’s message MARIO BARTEL mbartel@tricitynews.com
Insiyah Dharsee, 13, has embraced painting rocks with the signature message of British Columbia’s medical officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, as her way of getting through the COVID-19 pandemic. mario bartel/the tri-CitY NeWS
Insiyah Dharsee is making the best of a summer without camp, hanging out with her friends or extensive travel. The 13-year-old Port Coquitlam teen is painting rocks that she hopes will inspire others to seek the positive from months of anxiety and stress brought on by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Each colourful rock features the signature saying of British Columbia’s medical officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry: Be Calm. Be Kind. Be Safe.
Dharsee said the expression has driven her effort to spread Dr. Henry’s message. “When I give a rock to someone, it can remind them to be calm, be kind and be safe,” she said. Dharsee started her painting project in the earliest days of the pandemic, while she was off school. The first few were rather haphazard affairs, the words lettered in nail polish with a toothpick. Dharsee presented those to her teachers and principal at Summit middle school, even PoCo Mayor Brad West, and several quickly faded. She said she’s since learned to prime each rock with a base layer of paint, draw the lettering with a paint marker, then seal the colours with a coat of lacquer. see
almoSt 100, page 5
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