Two years ago Corbin Linklater became a victim of bullying at Heather Park middle school. Linklater, 15, still doesn't fully grasp that his passive reaction to the group of kids who were trying to intimidate him was such a big deal. But it was.
"I'd been put down a couple times before in my life and I just thought, I'm sick of this. It's time for something new, time for something to change. So I thought I'd try [something new] and see how it worked," said Linklater.
Ironically, the incident that pitted Linklater against an antagonistic group of older students at Heather Park middle school took place during national anti-bullying week.
The attack was taped and uploaded to YouTube by the attackers, titled HPMS doesn't like Corbin. The video showed the older students threatening to break Linklater's neck while several others laughed.
The video lasts five minutes as Linklater calmly expresses his right to be himself and not be bullied. It eventually ends when he turns around and goes down the stairs instead of getting into a confrontation.
"We couldn't have coached him or taught him a better way to handle [the situation]. I was very proud of him. I don't know where he got the courage, but seeing how we handled it was amazing," said Jack Linklater, Corbin's father.
The principal at the time of the attack, Lee Karpenko was quoted as saying, "He showed he was not going to get involved in a fight, he stood up for his rights, ultimately he walked away with his dignity and spirit intact. He did everything that he could have to rise above and he did."
When the community learned of the attack and how Corbin handled himself, he was hailed a local hero. He received cards from across the country congratulating him for his courage, including a letter from a member of parliament in the House of Commons.
"I give a lot of credit to the kids in the school and kids in some other schools because they really rallied around... College Heights secondary sent a card that was so big, it touched our ceiling," said Linklater.
To the surprise of his parents and the teachers, Corbin returned to school immediately afterwards. He said part of the reason he did that was because he didn't want them to win.
"I wasn't going to let [the attack] get in the way of school and a little part of me said - I'm going to school no matter what."
For national anti-bullying day Corbin wants kids who are being bullied to know they aren't alone and there are ways out of danger.
"I'd say to those kids that hiding the problem doesn't fix anything, being scared doesn't fix anything. If you have friends, parents or anyone else, you should talk to them about what's happening. With my situation I thought I could handle things myself and I tried too. It started out as being a little teasing but then it escalated. So I would tell them to stand up and don't be silent."
Corbin will be proudly wearing a pink T-shirt to show his support of the national anti-bullying movement.
"Because if I didn't wear pink, I'd be a bit of a hypocrite wouldn't I?"
