Scholars in the Elm Creek Elementary School Kindness Club helped to organize and host a Great Kindness Challenge week from Jan. 23-27. Students in all grade levels participated to promote and spread kindness across both the school and community.
The Great Kindness Challenge is a national event that focuses on empowering students to create a culture of kindness in their schools. The Great Kindness Challenge is all about celebrating kindness in a way every student, teacher and staff member can feel loved and appreciated. More than 37,000 schools across the world take part in the Great Kindness Challenge each year. This year’s theme was “grow kindness.”
During Kindness Week at Elm Creek last week, on Monday, students participated in the pledge to kindness, made kindness bracelets and went through a kindness challenge checklist. On Tuesday, students painted rocks and wrote kind words on them, which will be added to the rock garden in the spring. On Wednesday, students picked up trash around the classroom and school. On Thursday, students created kind notes that were given out at local coffee shops. On Friday, to wrap up kindness week, students wrote out kind notes to the custodians.
The Kindness Club at Elm Creek, made up of fourth and fifth graders, met during recess on Fridays for four weeks leading up to Kindness Week. The students volunteered to give up their recess and join the club, which was led by parent volunteers. During their last meeting at the end of Kindness Week, students received a “Kindness Certified Student certificate, posed for a group picture and filled out reflections on what they liked about the club and the Great Kindness Challenge.
“After the Great Kindness Challenge, I will look forward to helping more people,” wrote fourth grader Hannah Pederson in her reflection.
Visit the Great Kindness Challenge website for more information and to learn how to participate.