Students and faculty at Sanford Middle School came together for a week-long celebration of kindness – The Great Kindness Challenge.
The Great Kindness Challenge is a national movement that promotes students to engage in random acts of kindness throughout the week.
The heart of Kindness Week lies in the interactive checklists distributed to every student. These checklists serve as a guide for students to perform acts of kindness throughout the week. At the end of the week, students turned in their lists to their homeroom teachers, who tally up the acts of kindness. The class with the highest number of complete acts in each grade is rewarded with a pizza party.
To make Kindness Week even more engaging, the counseling team incorporated a Spirit Week with daily themes. Monday kicked off with “Powered by Kindness Superhero Day,” where students embrace the idea that kindness has the power to make a difference.
Tuesday followed with “Mismatch Day,” Wednesday was “Team Up for Kindness,” which gave students the opportunity to wear clothing representing their favorite sports team. Thursday was “Peace, Love, and Kindness Tie-Dye Day,” and Friday concluded with “Hats Off to Kindness,” allowing students to wear their favorite hats.
Throughout the week, students actively engaged in acts of kindness. From creating posters to show appreciation for the maintenance crew to thanking the PTA with handmade cards. Students also pushed in chairs, picked up trash, and complimented their peers. The PTA also returned the favor by setting up a hot chocolate stand during lunch on Wednesday.