A number of students at Petaluma Junior High School wore mismatched shoes and socks to school this week – on purpose.

They donned the unmatched shoes, as well as blue shirts, in support of a 26-year-old Delaware man who was recently the victim of alleged bullying and beatings by teenagers.

The mentally disabled victim was known for wearing such clothing.

Petaluma Junior High School seventh-grader Hana Seals said she learned about what had happened on social media and knew she wanted to do something.

“I thought it was really mean,” said the girl, whose parents have long encouraged her to stand up for other people.

“These kids took it upon themselves to do something,” said her mother, Elissa Seals.

Hana Seals and other students got the notion to wear mismatched clothes in solidarity with the man from social media, where people are using hashtags like  #TheBullyProject, #JusticeForCorran and #JusticeForCoran to spread the idea.

She said dozens of students at her school dressed up Tuesday.

Petaluma Junior High Principal Renee Semik said she had noticed many students wearing different-colored shoes and socks, but hadn’t known why.

But she said the movement made sense: At an assembly on the first day of school, she performed the ice bucket challenge before her students and encouraged them to get involved and help others.

 

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