Last Thursday started out like any other school day for a red haired girl at Journey Middle School, but it quickly degenerated into an ugly and frightening episode she is unlikely to forget.

"I was standing by my locker and two guys came up and kicked my legs and ran away," a grade six JMS student told the Sooke News Mirror. "I thought... 'okay, what's happening?' and my friend told me it was kick-a-ginger day." More kids arrived and more kicks were dished out.

If any of the students were having a good time this confused young girl was certainly not one of them. She said someone had gone to let the principal Terry Honer know what was going on and things were brought under control.

School District No. 62 Assistant Superintendent Jim Cambridge said about 20 students were subsequently dealt with, starting with being sent home.

"They returned the next day and met with the principal," said Cambridge. "Together they came up with a plan for restitution, which involved personal apologies to the students who were kicked; a report on discrimination, racism or bullying; and some public service to the school."

Cambridge said it started as a prank inspired by material on an animated TV show called South Park, then evolved into a gang mentality. The incident had been promoted on the networking website Facebook.

"There were students who weren't even familiar with why they were doing it... they just got into the act," he said.

Cambridge said he felt the JMS principal was using the incident as a learning opportunity... "that if kids discriminate by hair colour it's very close to discriminating by skin colour and that leads into all sorts of areas."

The red-haired student said she accepted the apologies that were later offered after the troubling experience.