Actor Sean Kanan, best known as Deacon Sharpe on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” spoke at Sequoia Charter School Wednesday as part of Unity Day, the Pacer Center’s nationwide signature event promoting bullying prevention.

Statistics show that one out of every four school-aged child will be bullied this year. With October being national bullying prevention month, an organization called Boo2Bullying was invited to present the event at Sequoia, with the purpose being to bring awareness to the adverse impacts of bullying and to empower students to stand up to mistreatment through their own personal stories.

Kanan spoke about his experiences being bullied as a child and how that motivated him to take up martial arts, a decision that ultimately earned him a role in “The Karate Kid Part III.” He and his wife Michelle Vega, also invited students to share their stories of being bullied or even times when they were the bully and how those moments affected them.

The Sequoia campus united with students wearing orange and participating in activities designed to promote a positive school climate and respect of individual differences. Students and staff also had a “Taste of the World,” which was a sampling of international cuisine prepared by staff members, a campus wide trivia contest regarding cultures, and a henna art station. The day concluded with an artistic reflection exercise on unity and kindness.